The Surprise Siege
by 8trustthecloak8
Summary: Will and Halt think they've done it again. Finished a mission, saved lives, all done, now it's time to go home. But not this time. Now Redmont has been taken from the inside. Can Will and Pauline get everyone to safety before more people die, and can they all work to save Redmont Castle before it's too late? Can Will survive long enough to make it out and save the day?
1. Chapter 1

The moon didn't come out that night. The sky was a deep dark blue with scattered clouds smeared across it in grayish black streaks, but the moon made no appearance, and everything was black. There was only the distant cold glow of far off stars, bathing the land around Castle Redmont in faint cold light. The trees creaked and groaned in the frosty wind blowing from the north and leaves were disturbed from their rotting patches and flew along the ground. It was a dark and ominous night, perfect for disguising the barely discernible crunch of Will and Halt's boots on the forest floor. They both ghosted easily between the trees, barely even trying to move carefully, since the near blackness masked all chances of them being seen. They both stopped behind a large grove of trees, giving them cover from all sides. Will leaned in closer toward Halt's cowled face a whispered, "Are you sure he's still ahead of us? I can't see him anymore."

"He's still ahead of us, but it's so dark I can't see him all the time. We should close in faster, the sounds of the forest should mask any accidental noises and the darkness will hide us visually. We need to stop him before he gets closer to Redmont. Remember what planned earlier today. Go on around," Halt murmured back.

He glanced off into the distance and Will followed his line of sight. A flicker of dull purple flicked across his peripheral vision and the snap of a branch drew his eyes and the feathered cap of the shadowy figure disappeared once again. Halt raised a finger to his lips to signal Will to be quiet again, and then gestured for him to go around to the right. Then Halt slipped out from behind the trees, heading straight for the man. Will left a few seconds after Halt, sliding out from behind the tree and jogging lightly in a larger arc, trusting the forest to hide his sounds. He caught another flash of purple and froze just in time. The man ran by just a few meters in front of him, and then a few seconds after he caught sight of Halt slipped through the trees a little farther back in the trees.

Will hoped Halt was ready for the next step in the plan, but he had no time to hesitate. Will timed it so that just as the man started forward towards another patch of cover, Will jumped out in front of the him, stopping him in the middle of a clearing. The man stopped suddenly and jumped at least 4 feet in the air, his hands scrabbling for his knife. Will pulled his already notched arrow back to full draw and stuck the sharp head in the man's face, whispering, "I wouldn't move if I were you."

The man froze and muttered something menacing in Toscan, but then Halt materialized behind him and grabbed his mouth to smother his yell, at the same time pulling his knives out of his belt and throwing them far off in the tall grasses. Halt leaned in and hissed into the man's ear, "Don't scream again, or your dagger will find its way between your ribs." Will was already pulling out a pair of thumb cuffs and he handed them to Halt, who looped them onto the mercenary thumbs behind his back. Will also produced a strip of cloth and Halt took it and tied it around his mouth, effectively gagging him. Halt kicked his knees out from under him and the man stumbled awkwardly to the the ground, landing painfully on his bound arms. But Will noticed with grim satisfaction that he managed to do this without making a single noise. Will loosed his grip on the arrow from full draw to half draw, settled in the keep watch for unwanted visitors as Halt drew his save knife and stood over the sprawled figure. The man shrank away from Halt's cold stare as he leaned toward him, hissing, "I want you to listen to me very, very carefully, because I will not be repeating myself. We know why you are here, how you got here, who you are with, and what you intend to do after you achieve this. So don't even think about lying to me, because I will know. And if you do, I'll have my friend Will here shoot you in the leg. And then in the other leg. Do you understand me?" The man grudgingly nodded, and Halt loosened his gag, stepped back a little, and crouched next to the man. "I know that you think your disguise is pretty genius, but it's pretty obvious you are a Genovesian. What is your name?"

The mercenary hesitated slightly, but after seeing Halt's expression darken, he whispered faintly, "Mario."

Halt glowered at him and replaced the gag. "My friend and I, we have what you might call a quarrel with your kind. But since you have not committed any serious crimes here yet, we have only one thing to say to you: leave. Leave now before you do anything worse or get any ideas." Halt leaned in further, staring him down. "Because if you do, we will hunt you down, find you, and kill you. I know that you still have some of your buddies left at that camp back there, and they need to leave too. We will follow you and your friends all the way across the border into Picta or all the way to the sea. You have no where else to go now. My friend here is going to lower his bow and I am going to untie you. You are going to run back to your friends, pack up, and leave. Leave and never come back. Do you understand?" Halt paused, waiting for Mario's answer. He nodded hesitantly, all resistance gone from his demeanor. Halt turned to Will and nodded slightly, and Will lowered his bow. Halt unclipped the thumb cuffs and Mario sprung to his feet, ripped out the gag, and ran headlong through the trees, and was soon out of sight. Will and Halt watched him for a time in silence, and then Will started with surprise as Halt actually laughed a little. "The sight of that assassin running through the trees like a dog with his tail between his legs is just too funny after all that," Halt said softly, the ghost of a smile still lingering on his face as he turned toward Will. Will smiled slightly, but then exhaustion washed over him and his smile drooped back into an tired frown. Halts smile also melted as his fatigue settled in and his adrenaline dropped.

Will muttered, "Are we really going to follow them all the way to the border? That could take days, and I'm already so tired."

Halt sighed and replied, "I realized as much. I don't really want to follow them all the way to the border either. I was thinking about following them to border of Redmont fief and then letting them go. We just need to make them think we are following them. We scared that one pretty well just now, I think it will probably suffice."

"I hope it will, because if we have to follow them all the way to the border, I'll drop dead from deprivation of a good hot stew," Will said sourly. His stomach rumbled longingly for the hot savory food, which neither of them had had in weeks.

Halt frowned at the memory and said peevishly, " Why did you have to go and remind me about that? Now I'm starving."

"After we follow those mercenaries for a while, I'll stop and catch a rabbit or two for our ride back." Will slung his bow onto his back.

"That sounds positively marvelous," Halt said sarcastically as he dropped his saxe back into his scabbard. "But before we go worry about our stew, how bout we go trail this troublesome Genovesian?" Will sighed, but whistled for Tug, who came running through the trees with Abelard promptly. Both Rangers mounted reluctantly and began a slow pace back towards the camp.

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hey! Thanks for checking out my story, I'd really appreciate it if you could let me know what you think of it so far by leaving me a review. I have more content coming ASAP. I have already written this entire story so keep ready and finish it up!


	2. Chapter 2

Will and Halt caught sight of Redmont Castle just after sunrise the following morning. Halt gave a long sigh as the two paused atop the hill that looked over Wensley village. Halt said, "After every mission I ever returned from, I always stopped here. This sight is such a welcome one."

Will looked over at Halt in surprise, and said, "I thought it was just me! I always do that too."

Halt just glanced at him. "Of course you're not the only one. Probably every traveller stops here. The only sight that competes with this in the whole kingdom would be Castle Araluen..." But he trailed to a stop as both Tug and Abelard turned and looked at them.

Why are we just sitting here staring? I'm hungry. Tug shook his mane at Will and clacked his teeth. Abelard didn't seem to say anything, but she gave Halt a long look and then rolled her eyes toward the castle. Will looked sidelong at Halt, and then whispered to Tug out of the corner of his mouth, "I'll give you some apples when we get home."

Halt narrowed his eyes at Will. "That horse eats too many apples as it is. Don't promise him anymore." Tug turned his head and bared his teeth at Halt, and Halt stared him down. Will let them simmer for a few moments, and then drawled sarcastically, "Shall we go, Abelard, while these two keep bickering?" Abelard tossed her head in reply and moved into a smooth canter down the hill, with Will urging Tug on close behind.

The two Rangers rode tiredly through Wensley village and up to the main gates of the castle. The guards let them through without hesitation, calling friendly greetings to the famous Rangers. They rode through to the courtyard, where are a large crowd had gathered for their arrival. As soon as they noticed the two Rangers, they started clapping and calling out to them, cheering and asking them what they had accomplished this time. Will ducked his head down a little further into his cowl, and noticed Halt doing the same. Hopefully, Will thought, there weren't any sketch artists to capture his bright red face. He scanned the crowd hopefully and sure enough, two tall blonde figures stood in front next to the Baron. Will dismounted Tug and turned as a stable hand ran up to him and said, "I'll care for Tug, sir! I'm sure he doesn't like this crowd and your lady is waiting!"

Will agreed and handed him off just in time as Alyss ran to him. She threw her arms around him and hissed into his shoulder, "Don't you ever go off on a mission without telling me, do you hear? Never again."

Will smiled as Alyss pulled back and looked into his eyes anxiously. "I won't do it again. This was a special circumstance, it came up rather suddenly. There wasn't really anything I could have done besides leaving you that quick little note. You did get that note, right?"

"Yes, I saw it, but it hardly explained anything. Just something about how you had to go follow some Genovesan that had appeared suddenly. And that just made me more anxious, because remember last time you dealt with Genovesans? You and Halt almost died! And you didn't even tell me how long you would be gone..." Alyss scowled at him.

Will put his hand on her cheek and said softly, "I'm sorry I didn't leave sufficient information, it won't happen again. Most missions aren't that sudden."

Alyss smiled at him and put her hand over his own. "I missed you."

"I missed you too..." He trailed off as she ran her hand over his cheek.

Alyss laughed lightly as she examined his new brown stubble. "I didn't know you were growing a beard."

Will reached up and ran his hand over his now stubbly chin and smiled. "Well, I didn't exactly get a chance to shave while I was gone, now did I?"

She stroked his cheek, and then leaned in as if to kiss him, but Will surreptitiously leaned away from her kiss, and glanced around, biting his lip. "Look, I think maybe we should continue this somewhere else... anywhere else... than here," Will murmured as he stared uncomfortably at the ever-growing crowd of people surrounding them to watch. Alyss peered at Will's face and noticed how red it was. How he seemed to be almost shrinking away from the crowd of people behind him, flinching a little every time someone called out his name.

"Will, when I move, you follow me. You need to smile and wave at the crowd, alright?" Alyss started turn but Will stopped her.

"Wait, what?" He sounded shocked.

"Just do it. Ready, go." Alyss turned and, keeping firm grip on Will's hand, she lead him through the now massive crowd, a large smile plastered to her face. She glanced behind her a few times, and saw that Will was actually doing alright. He had a hesitant smile, but he was very pink and wasn't actually making eye contact with anyone. They burrowed their way through the crowd until they reached the large doors that lead to the Baron's anteroom, and dragged the heavy doors open, ducking underneath people. Alyss dragged Will through the doors just as someone actually grabbed at Will's tunic, trying to hold him back. Will shoved the person's hand back out the door and helped Alyss close them. They both stood there, leaning against the doors, finally relaxing in the quiet and not so claustrophobic environment. When Will looked up he noticed Halt and Pauline a little farther down in the anteroom, and Pauline beckoned to them.

Will and Alyss walked up to them just as Halt said to her, "Are you sure it wasn't the Baron? Someone had to have made an announcement for that many people to be there..." He turned as Will approached, and said drily,

"So I see you managed to make it out alive. Pauline and I left a little before you."

"We were just discussing who could be responsible for leaking the information to the entire surrounding countryside that you and Halt were getting home today. Will, how lovely to see you home safe again," Pauline hugged Will and kissed him tenderly on the cheek.

Will smiled at her. "Lovely to see you too, Pauline."

Alyss also exchanged greetings with Halt, and then said, "So who was responsible? I am quite curious to find out who managed to organize that many people to know exactly when you were arriving."

"That's what we've been trying to find out," Halt muttered.

"As I was saying, it can't have been the Baron. He doesn't go out and meet that many people of the surrounding villages often enough," Pauline stated.

"I'm afraid to say it was actually partially my own doing, though it was not intentional. Good to see you Halt, and you, Will," the Barron said as he walked up to the small group.

"Good to be home, my lord, but what do you mean when you say it's 'partially your fault'?" Halt said suspiciously.

"Well..." the Barron wrung his hands, "I happened to go to Jenny's diner about four days ago, and I may have told her when you two were coming home. I suppose some other people may have heard it..."

Halt was already rolling his eyes, and said, "Once you, being you, say something - anything - in that room, everyone will know within minutes. I'm surprised there weren't more people here today."

"True, and who's not to say that Jenny probably went and told some people herself?" Will said matter-of-factly.

Halt nodded at Will and then narrowed his eyes at the Barron. "Are you sure it wasn't on purpose?"

The Baron nodded. "Of course, I know you Rangers don't like that much of the public's attention. I'll be more careful about it in the future..."

But he trailed off as Halt turned away from him, and said to Will, "I'm going to go eat lunch with my wife. You get to report to the Baron and write up our written report. I don't want to deal with him at the moment." Will glared at Halt but nodded grudgingly. The Baron wisely pretended not to have heard that comment.

"Sorry, darling, but I actually have to go and work up some paperwork with George in the scribe's office. So you'll be dining alone," said Pauline.

"I'll dine with you, Halt! Since Will is busy for another hour or so, I may as well eat with you. Then when Will and Pauline are done, they can join us at Jenny's diner," Alyss suggested.

Halt smiled at her. "Sounds like a plan. See you in about an hour? Will, you should take her on Tug with you so she doesn't have to walk."

Will smiled at Pauline, who smiled back. "I shall look forward to it. I'll meet you up in the anteroom to the Baron's office before we leave," said Pauline. She turned and kissed Halt, and then made her way up the stairs. Alyss patted Will's cheek affectionately, took Halt's arm, and together they walked out the back entrance, chatting pleasantly.

Will looked forlornly after them, wishing he was with them. Then the Baron put his hand on his shoulder and, gesturing to the stairs leading to his office, said, "Shall we?" Will nodded again, and trudged up the steps behind the Baron, resigning himself to long afternoon of paperwork.

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	3. Chapter 3

Mario looked out over the sprawling lands around Castle Remont and nodded to his partner, Giovanni. "This looks like Redmont. They should have what we need."

"We will go in, grab them, and then run. Those Rangers just got back. They are both still in the Castle and are too far away to be a threat. This should be fairly easy. They might not even notice we were here right away," Giovanni replied in a strong accent.

"And what will we do if we are caught?"

"We won't."

"But what if -"

"Then we will do what we must. Go and tell the others." Mario ran back into the trees while Giovanni prepared to go into Wensley village. They were ready.

"So what did you actually do this time? I'm sure you probably almost died several times, but Will never really tells me. He doesn't want to worry me, but he doesn't realize it actually makes me more worried to not know," Alyss said to Halt as they strolled down the lane from the Castle towards Jenny's diner. Halt had left Abelard back at the castle with Tug and now they were walking to lunch.

"Well, we got word that a Genovesan had been spotted in the immediate vicinity, which we were very concerned about. Most of the time when these assassins come around they are only there to make trouble. But we managed to catch up to them before they did anything. It turns out all they were planning was to steal some precious and rare gems from the village jeweler. Halt and I transferred the gems ourselves to the secret palace safes and then caught one of them in the forest before he managed to do anything and sent him packing. We followed them out across the border of Redmont and saw them off. We sent some scouts after them from Norgate to make sure they went all the way to the border. Then we returned home." Halt saw Alyss's eyes widen as he said 'one of them'.

"You mean there were two?" Alyss asked.

"Yes, there were two. We caught one of them and then sent him back to take the other with him."

Alyss frowned thoughtfully. "Interesting that two of those assassins would get paid to steal some gems... that seems a bit much for a simple robbery."

Halt nodded in agreement. "Will and I thought so too. But apparently their employer was very wealthy and manipulative, and wanted those stones so badly he paid two of them."

Alyss pursed her lips. "Yes, but all the same, maybe I'll look into some of the paperwork coming from around that area to see if I can catch any anomalies. This should probably be investigated further."

"Of course. I'd be happy to help." Halt smiled at her.

Alyss smiled back, and said, "I don't know if Will will want to help us, since you've just left him to deal with all the paperwork for your mission."

"True, he really does hate that. He'll probably take a while to bring around for that one."

"I still can't believe how many people there were to see you. That was really something - " Alyss fell silent as Halt, who was looking off into the distance, suddenly put his hand on her arm. He peered intensly at a spot off in the distance, farther down the road. The heat from midday rose up from the ground in waves, blurring everything far in the distance, but as Alyss forced her eyes to focus, she could see it was a group of riders mounted on horses. There seemed to be a lot of them, at least 40. Halt already seemed to suspect something was wrong, and she turned to ask him, "Wait - who -" but he grabbed her elbow and pulled her off the side of the road in between some vendors' stalls.

"Listen to me very carefully. Run for the nearest soldier you can and send them up to the castle, telling them there is a pack of very dangerous riders headed for the castle, possibly for the gems. They need to lock down the castle. Will, the Baron, Pauline, and who knows who else are still in there and they need to be warned. GO!"

Alyss ran back up the street as fast as she could, hitching up her skirt and sweeping her long hair out of her face. "Soldier! I need a soldier!" she cried at the top of her lungs, and a young man in uniform came out from behind a stall.

The soldier said, "Miss, miss calm down! What's wrong?"

Alyss grabbed his arm frantically, and said, "I have a message from Ranger Halt! He spotted a group of very dangerous riders, at least forty, moving at full speed up the road just a little ways down! They want to steal some rare jewels! Get on your horse and ride for the the castle, you need to warn Ranger Will and lock it down immediately!"

The soldier looked at her in disbelief. "Miss, are you sure? Did you really get that from Ranger Halt?"

Alyss's eyes narrowed with frustration and she hissed, "My name is Lady Alyss, Ranger Will is my husband, and Ranger Halt is one of my dearest friends! Now get on your damn horse and warn Will!" The soldier, hearing that this lady was related to the two most famous Rangers in the country, ran for his damn horse. Alyss turned to see Halt sprinting toward her she started to say something to him, but he crashed into her, sending her sprawling to the ground a little off the road. He put his arm over her protectively as the huge pack of horses and riders thundered past right where she had been just standing. Alyss cowered in fear as the thundering drowned out all sounds except for her thumping heart and rapid breathing. She could feel Halt's strong arm over her, but the vibrations from the horses seemed too strong. Just as she thought she couldn't stand it anymore and was about to break down, the horses passed and there was sudden, surreal, and blessed silence.

Alyss kept her head down for a moment, catching her breath and regaining her composure, and then sighed, accepting Halt's hand to help her up. They both stood in silence for a moment, and then Halt said, "I'm sorry about knocking you over like that, but you were about to get trampled. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, thank you, I would much rather be a little scraped up than trampled to death." Alyss brushed herself off, ignoring her skinned knees and elbows and dirty dress, still trying to calm her pounding heart and shaking hands. "What were you doing after I ran off?"

"I managed to shoot quite a few of them, but there must be forty people in that pack. I only managed to shoot two out of their saddles and injure one horse, which didn't make much of a difference, since they were riding too quickly for me to get in a good shot. Did you warn a soldier?"

"Yes, he's probably already at the palace."

"Good," Halt nodded at her, and then turned toward the castle. "I'm going to send more soldiers into the surrounding countryside and off to the surrounding fiefs to warn them."

"Why?"

"Because those riders are at the castle right now for the jewels. They are going to take over the castle to get them, but then when a small army of soldiers appears outside their door, they are going to occupy the castle. We are going to need some help."

Alyss's eyes widened. "Are - are you sure? Will - and the Baron - they're all in there..."

Halt glanced at her. "We have to hope that soldier gets there in time. Normally I would ride up up there myself, but since Abelard is at the castle, we have hope that soldier is speedy."

"And what if he's not fast enough?"

Halt looked her in the eyes. "Then we'll have a very big problem, because those men were

Genovesans and hired hands and they will take hostages."


	4. Chapter 4

The next morning at dawn, everyone at the camp were in their respective battle stations. The soldiers all formed up in ranks just in front of the camp. Crowley had ridden back to Araluen the day before to deliver news to most of the castle's staff. In front of them, standing in a long line was King Duncan, Cassandra, Halt, Will, Alyss, and Gilan. They all had their weapons ready and they were ready to fight. But as Halt had described last night at the briefing, there probably wouldn't be any fighting. Now that Will wasn't there, they didn't have their reassurance or safety of their ransom. But that they might still attack simply because it would affect their honor of they abandoned their mission now. So everyone was standing ready.

Will was excited for the coming action, but he wasn't really looking forward to seeing MacHaddish again. He felt a strange sense of lust for revenge. He knew it was a feeling he shouldn't have, but the fact that his head was bandaged helped him feel more angry inside. But he knew that killing MacHaddish wasn't going to solve his problem, it was destroying everything he had worked for a second time. He instinctively tightened his grip on his bow, his knuckles turning white.

Halt noticed, and leaned over and took the bow from Will's hand. "Will, we discussed this last night. Are you certain you want to do this? I know that this feels personal for you, and I don't want that to hinder your judgement - "

"Yes, Halt, we did discuss this, and I have already stated that it will not be a problem." Will almost snapped at Halt as he took his bow back, but resolved to keep a looser grip.

Halt raised both eyebrows but said nothing. He knew that nothing he could say would keep Will from doing this. Will had a personal goal, and he wasn't about to get in his way.

As both Will and Halt mulled over their thoughts, suddenly a sound began coming from the forest. It was a huge rumbling sound, and it eventually turned into the thump thump thump of a hundred feet stomping the ground in unison, and everyone knew the Scotti were coming. Will nervously plucked two arrows from his quiver and held them between the fingers of his right hand. He turned and noticed that Halt had done the same, and he smiled slightly in anticipation of the face off.

All at once, the army exploded from the trees. Long lines of men stepped out of the forest and , without even faltering, marched through the tall grass. But at a call from an officer, they all thundered to a stop just in front of the trees. Their number of about two hundred suddenly seemed very small compared to the five hundred plus men the Araluen war camp was housing. And they were all lined up in their armor, row after row, almost to show off their superior numbers. A small party of men, perhaps about ten, began to advance slowly towards the Araluen camp. They were too far away to see exactly who was coming, but it was impossible to miss the white flag the front-most man was hoisting into the air. "What? They think they are going to get a fair truce meeting after - " Will spluttered indignantly, but Halt stopped him.

"Yes, I'm afraid they do." Will fell silent, but was still angry inside. He reached up to touch his still throbbing head, and his anger swelled. He squinted out at the group coming towards them, and he recognized the one in the lead. It was the huge Scotti who had been patrolling the forest when Will had first arrived at the camp. He had nearly caught Will before he had even started. Adair, that was his name. And the figure walking behind him was impossible to miss. Half of his face was covered in blue paint, and his ball and chain was unmistakable. MacHaddish had come to work out, hopefully, surrender papers. But Will suspected, as did practically everyone else, that he had something else up his sleeves... if he had any. He wasn't exactly wearing a shirt. He was only wearing a kilt and a huge harness around his chest that held a huge broadsword across his back, along with tall boots and bracers and greavers. He had a helmet where half of it was painted blue.

Will reached up again and gently touched his head where MacHaddish had cut him. This time Horace noticed the action. "Will, are you sure you're alright? You seem to be touching your head a lot..."

"No, it's alright, Horace, I'm fine." Horace sensed the emotions broiling beneath the surface of Will's voice, and he decided not to push it, and he fell silent.

The truce party came up to about a hundred meters from the lines of men and stopped. Then MacHaddish's herald shouted out, "The great and mighty General MacHaddish wishes to discuss terms with the honorable King Duncan and whosoever joins him! He declares that when you give the signal he will advance to wherever you decide our two great nations will meet!" Then the herald stepped backward and silence settled over the camp.

Without hesitation, Duncan turned and called out to the troops, "Bring a tent out here, with some tables and chairs! Get some refreshments as well!" The soldiers behind immediately brought them out, and in just minutes the tent was set up. Duncan gestured to Cassandra, Halt, Will, Alyss, and Gilan to join him in the large tent. They all walked over and Duncan sat in the large chair at the head of the table, and Halt sat next to him on his right. Everyone else stood behind him, with Will standing just behind his right shoulder, near Halt. Then MacHaddish's party advanced and MacHaddish took his place at the opposite end of the table, with Adair behind him, and many of his advisors. As soon as MacHaddish was settled in his chair, he lifted his eyes and they looked around at all the faces at the other end of the table. He glanced at Duncan and Halt, and didn't even look at the others as his gaze settled on Will. Will met his eyes without hesitation. Halt noticed and saw that MacHaddish's eyes burned with pure, unbridled hatred and contempt on Will. His lip curled in a snarl and his brows lowered down until his eyes were shadowed heavily. Will's face was expressionless, but his eyes burned with anger and steel. Halt met Duncan's eyes and then Duncan began to speak. "So, General, I assume you have come to discuss a certain matter with us? Could you please specify what sort of matter this might be?"

After just a second more of glaring at Will, he finally broke eye contact and looked at Duncan. He finally spoke, acting as though he hadn't heard what Duncan had said. "I think that you assume that I have come to discuss surrender terms with you. But you have assumed wrong." His eyes switched to Halt. Halt met those horrible, dark eyes, but he could see in the gaze that MacHaddish didn't care about him, or Duncan, or anyone else in the tent. And sure enough, his gaze slid back to Will, and suddenly the hatred and contempt burned again. Duncan sensing the tension, said, "So then what, exactly, have you come to discuss?"

This time MacHaddish didn't even look at Duncan, and keeping his gaze fixed on Will, said, "I have come with a request... a request that you return my escaped prisoner to me immediately. Also, the one who helped him escape, he is also rightfully mine."

Now anger blossomed on Will's face. He opened his mouth to speak, but Duncan interrupted him, saying, "Unfortunately, we will not be complying with that request. Neither person shall be handed over to you willingly."

But surprisingly, MacHaddish, again, had stopped paying attention to Duncan again. His gaze was again glued to Will, but his eyebrows were raised slightly, his mouth open in what seemed to be surprise. "Well, I was not expecting that at all..." he murmured softly.

Duncan said, a little uncertainly, "What, you were not expecting us to reject your request?"

"No, no..." MacHaddish said, interrupting Duncan. "Ranger Will." He now addressed Will openly. "That person who helped you escape from my camp... Myself and my men all assumed that it was a man. But that woman next to you, she has the same color of hair and has almost identical features to the 'man' that my men reported seeing escape with you. What is she, a Courier? Ha, I know all about them. They are experts in disguise and deception. She could have very easily become a man to help you escape. I was not expecting it to be a woman, though." He laughed slightly at his last few words. Will glanced at Alyss, who shrugged, and then at the King for permission to speak, and Duncan gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"I hope you listened to my King, MacHaddish, because what he said was the truth." Will said. He hoped he sounded calm, because he was just barely holding his anger for this wretched man. "We are no longer your property. I escaped from your camp, and so did she, and we will not be going with you. You must be crazy if you think we would even consider it."

Halt looked at him, with sudden alarm on his face. What are you doing? asked his eyes.

Meanwhile, MacHaddish sighed heavily and began to glare at Will again, fuming at the insult. But he checked his temper just in time as got control of himself.

Will gave Halt a meaningful look, and then Halt said, "I wonder, Your Majesty, do you think that Will and I could go and talk privately for just a moment?" The King just looked at Will and Halt for a moment, and then nodded resignedly.

Will lead Halt away from the tent quickly until they were out of earshot. "Will! What are you doing? What are you thinking? Nothing beneficial comes from insulting him like that!" Halt scolded.

"No, Halt I'm insulting him because I have a plan!"

"A plan! A plan that includes driving him to violence?"

"Yes."

Halt looked at him, both eyebrows raised. "Are you sure that you only have a mild concussion? Because you are definitely not thinking clearly!"

Will rolled his eyes, and explained. "Halt, my head is fine. But I know about one of MacHaddish's weaknesses! He has a terrible temper, and has a lot of trouble controlling it! That's why he hit me, remember? I drove him over the edge. And that's what I'm trying to do here."

"What? So he can hit you again? Are you crazy - ohhhh..." Halt faded out for a second, and then everything clicked. "The truce rules."

Will smiled. "Yes. As soon as he pulls a weapon, he will have broken a serious truce rule and we can fight him. But since his army doesn't have any orders to attack, they won't, they'll get all confused, and we can kill or capture all of the officers, and then force them to surrender. Took you long enough to figure it out." He added grimly.

Halt nodded. "Let's hope it works."

They both walked back over to the tent, where everyone was waiting patiently, and Duncan said, "Now that we are all here, we shall resume." MacHaddish looked angry again, Will thought triumphantly. "Will you surrender to us? You have no other option."

"Oh, I have plenty of options. One of them is surrender, but there are much more appealing options that you could select, such as, give me back my prisoners." MacHaddish's face turned a little bit redder at those last few words.

"And we have already rejected that. That is no longer something you should even consider. I ask again, will you surrender?" Duncan pressed on, but before MacHaddish could reply, Will slid in.

"It's perfectly alright to feel ashamed, General. I would too if had to surrender." MacHaddish tightened both hands into a fist, but did not move.

"No. I wish to discuss a trade. I am willing to give you a lot of money for those two, or perhaps slaves, if you want them."

Again, Will put in a small comment. "It's sad that your tribe is so primitive as to still have slaves." MacHaddish slammed his fist onto the table, making the whole thing jump a foot in the air. He had begun to sweat, and he was shaking with rage.

"If you will not give me the woman, at least let me take Ranger Will. He was my prisoner, and he is still rightfully mine."

"I have told you. Absolutely not." King Duncan was starting to feel frustrated, Will could tell. He was angry at both MacHaddish, for continuing to press his useless trade, and for Will for insulting him.

But Will knew he had to keep going. So he muttered to Halt, softly, but just loud enough for the whole tent to hear, "Why is he still trying to convince His Majesty? Everyone knows his trade is ridiculous... well, except for him, I suppose." This was too much for MacHaddish. He rose from his seat violently, upsetting his chair and lunging across the table cursing violently at Will. His men behind him dragged him back into his chair, struggling to pull him back as he threw his hands and arms and torso and anything he could grab at Will. But Will just watched all of this calmly, with no expression on his face. Finally MacHaddish was back in his seat, but he was breathing heavily, and sweat was pouring down his face, his whole body was shaking with anger. His face burned tomato red and his lip was now curled into a permanent snarl and his eyes were little black slits of anger. Will knew this look. He gave a tiny nod to Halt, and now Halt new that MacHaddish had reached his limit. One more thing, and he would explode. But just as Will was preparing another jibe, Halt stopped him with a small shake of his head. Will raised his eyebrows in question, and Halt gave him an 'I've got this one' look. So Will let him speak the last and final insult.

"Will, you're right. He really does smell up close."

That was it. MacHaddish exploded, not at Halt, but at Will. He shoved his chair back from the table, and yanked out his ball and chain, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Ranger Will Treaty! Do you see this ball and chain?" He thrust it into the air violently, and a lot of his men ducked as it flailed around dangerously. "It still has your blood on it! And it will get all of it now!" He shoved the table a side and advanced quickly to the other end, where Duncan has gotten up and backed up with Cassandra and Alyss. Halt stood in front of Will his bow out and at half draw. Will behind him had his two knives out, but his bow was also ready. Gilan had backed up a few steps and had his bow out and at full draw, pointed at MacHaddish.

Everyone was about to fire on the advancing and very, very angry MacHaddish when Will cried out, "Stop! Everyone stop!" Everyone froze, even MacHaddish. Will slid past Halt and stood facing MacHaddish, "Look, MacHaddish, look around you. Do you see any sense in this situation at all?"

"I don't have to listen to you! I want to kill you!" MacHaddish began to run towards Will again, but Will pulled up his bow and it reached full draw, aimed straight for MacHaddish's face. MacHaddish froze.

"Yes, you will listen to me, because if you don't, I'll shoot you where you stand." MacHaddish knew how fast Will could shoot. He knew he could never dodge an arrow at such a point blank range of 7 feet. So he stopped.

"What do you want to say now? Another insult? Another mocking word?"

"No, actually, quite the opposite. I am going to give you a choice." Will thought about it for a moment. "Either you can surrender now, or fight us, lose most of your men, and then surrender by force or die. It's your choice. Pick one, I don't care which."

MacHaddish grinned evilly at Will. "Isn't it obvious?" And then he attacked. All at once a battle broke out in the tent. Duncan, in the back of the tent, pulled out his sword and thrust at anything that came near him, while protecting Alyss, who was ready with her saber, and Cassandra, who was pelting enemies with lead shot from her sling. Gilan began to shoot at the men who were with MacHaddish, and Halt was engaged in an epic knife verses ball and chain battle with Adair. But Will was against MacHaddish, which he had been expecting all along. Will was ready for his first wild swing of the ball, and he ducked sooner this time, and the ball passed harmlessly over his head. Then he pivoted and landed a good punch with the butt of his knife in his gut. MacHaddish grunted and backed away a few steps. Then, in a rage that Will had hit him so soon into the battle, he threw his ball and chain at Will. Will dropped flat to the ground as the weapon passed over him again. It didn't scratch his skin, but it ripped three very long and jagged gashes into his cloak, rather, Halt's cloak. So much for giving this one back to him, Will thought. He jumped to his feet just as MacHaddish swung his broadsword for Will's head. Will leapt nimbly out of the way and raked his knife along MacHaddish's shoulder, opening a shallow cut. It wasn't more than a scratch, but it was a start. After that, MacHaddish fired a rapid series of blows with his broadsword at Will. His two knife defense barely blocked each attack, but Will still wasn't a very good knife fighter, and MacHaddish managed to nick Will's wrist with his sword tip. It was small, but deep, and it bled on Will's hand and made his grip slippery. Finally Will gave up on that defense and decided to end it. He thrust MacHaddish back with one huge push, dropped both knives back into their scabbards, and pulled out his bow and a few arrows, and stuck the points straight into MacHaddish's face. MacHaddish froze. Will froze. And all was quiet for a moment except for both men's breathing. Will glanced around for a second and noticed that Halt and the others had stopped fighting. They had either killed, wounded, or subdued all of MacHaddish's men, and Adair lay dead at Halt's feet. They had all backed up to let Will finish off MacHaddish. They all watched them now.

Will spoke first. "MacHaddish, I suggest you surrender now, for the sake of your men. You have no where left to run. Even if I don't end up finishing you off, I'm sure that there are plenty of people here who would like to themselves. So, I ask you again, will you surrender?"

MacHaddish just scowled and said, "Never." And that was the last word he ever spoke. Will fired one arrow, but MacHaddish had been expecting it. He put his arms over his chest and the arrow struck the fleshy part of his left arm, and even though he was wounded, he grinned in triumph. He had survived Will's killing blow! What he didn't expect was the throwing knife that Will had thrown in an easy underhand toss straight for his heart. It thunked into his chest and sank in deeply, blood already welling around it. MacHaddish looked up at Will, his mouth opening and closing like a landed fish, and then he fell back, dead before he hit the ground. A look of surprise would forever be plastered to his dead, pale, waxy face.

Will stood over his body for a few seconds in silence, catching his breath. Then he leaned down, and yanked his knife out his chest. He wiped it off on his cloak, and walked slowly back through the crowd, rubbing his head as he headed back towards the camp. Everyone began to murmur all at once, and it slowly grew to a rumble as every soldier in the camp began to tell their friends what they had just witnessed. Halt just sighed with relief. Horace looked at him curiously. "What is it, Halt?"

"Every time that sword or ball and chain came anywhere near Will, I had this distinct feeling Will was dodging too late, but then it would pass over him. Every time. I swear I thought he was going to die about twenty times." Halt sounded exasperated, but Horace knew he was relieved.

"I know, Halt. I felt that way too. But I guess we just got to trust Will. He's never let us down yet."

Halt smiled. "And he never will."


	5. Chapter 5

The emergency dispatch from the nearest fief arrived within half an hour of the Genovesan's attack. They marched in up the main road through Wensley village, boasting glittering suits of armor and shiny leather protective clothing. They all carried bows or swords, and they were accompanied by none other than Gilan, who had been in the neighboring fief. Halt and Alyss stood waiting just outside Wensley, waiting with the small, scraggly group of soldiers they pulled from the surrounding village. Gilan stepped up, wordlessly embraced Halt, and hugged Alyss. "So, care to tell me what's going on here? I don't see Will out here with you... or Pauline, the Baron, Lady Sandra, Sir Rodney... Where are they?"

Halt pointed solemnly towards the castle, which stood eerily silent and still in the cool breeze. No soldiers moved along the ramparts, no villagers and servants came in and out, no nobles came riding in from their afternoon ride. Everything was still and silent as everyone waited with baited breath for the perfect time to strike the castle and take it back... without harming any of the remaining Araluens still trapped or captured inside.

"Oh..." Gilan said in a hushed tone. "Will and Pauline and... they're all still in there?"

Halt nodded. "They didn't have enough warning to get out in time."

Gilan pursed his lips. "Has Will or anyone still in there contacted you in any way since the castle was taken? Or do you think they've all been captured?"

"No, and I couldn't say for sure, they could have not even gotten my message..." Halt trailed off thoughtfully. Gilan looked questioningly at Alyss.

"When Halt saw the riders coming, he sent me to tell a soldier to go tell Will. We don't know for sure if the soldier even made it there alive. They came so suddenly and took the castle so quickly we don't know anything for certain yet," Alyss said.

Gilan's eyebrows lowered into a frown. "Knowing Will, he probably avoided capture. What was he doing right before you left?"

Halt replied, "That's what I was thinking. Last I saw him, he was doing the last of the reports with the Baron. Then he was going to get Pauline and they were going to ride on Tug over to Jenny's diner. When I left he was just finishing up in the main office, and Pauline was on the floor above finishing up a report with George. "

"Now we have to predict what happened in there and what Will would have done so that we can make a plan, right? Isn't that the sort of thing you Rangers do?" Alyss said.

Halt and Gilan gave her puzzled looks. "We don't do that specifically, it's all just common sense and knowing Will. So you can help us," Halt said.

Gilan nodded in agreement. "So we know he was in the office. He probably finished up a few moments later. Then -"

"He would have gone to get Pauline," Alyss interrupted Gilan.

"Yes. But which floor would they have been on when the portcullises started closing? I know from experience that when the emergency portcullises close, they are very loud and create loud booming echoes throughout the whole castle. It would have been impossible to miss and Will would have recognized the sound." Halt stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"I don't think we can figure this out without more information..." Alyss said anxiously.

Just then a loud commotion happened outside the tent among the large camp of soldiers. Gilan peeked outside the tent and Halt, who had been looking at a floor plan of Redmont, looked up from the maps. Then Gilan suddenly stepped aside as a man stumbled into the tent. It was a soldier from Redmont Castle. He was dripping wet, sweaty, and exhausted, his uniform was disheveled and torn, and a large gash on his arm oozed blood. All in all he was an exhausted wreck, and Alyss wondered why he didn't go to the medical tent. But before anyone could say anything, the poor soldier cried out, "Ranger Halt! Lady Alyss! I have - a - a message - "

"From who?" Halt said urgently, crossing the tent quickly with a chair and pushing the soldier into the chair.

"Ranger W-will." Halt breathed a sigh of relief and Alyss gasped and hugged Gilan.

Halt smiled faintly at Gilan and Alyss, saying, "Ironic timing." Then he leaned in encouragingly.

"What did Ranger Will say to tell me?"

The soldier took a few deep breathes, and then rattled out, "He wants you to know that Lady Pauline, the Baron, Lady Sandra, a few more nobles, and a lot of soldiers are still inside the castle, as well as himself. He and Lady Pauline are still free and sneaking around the castle. He will try to protect the jewels and get everyone out, especially those who know where the jewels are so that the thieves can't get to them. He will try to escape with Pauline but if he doesn't appear in four hours, it means he was captured. "

Halt fired questions at him. "Where was Will when he told you this?"

"I - in the second floor hallway, the diplomatic floor."

"Who was he with?"

"Lady P-pauline."

"What was he doing?"

"He - well - I was running up the stairs and then I turned down the hallways and saw he was standing outside a smaller office that Lady Pauline was in, talking to a young Courier, I think. Then the portcullises started shutting and that's when I ran past him. He grabbed me and ordered me to deliver this message. Then he explained everything to Lady Pauline. They both took off running down the hallway a few moments later, at least I think. By then, I was already running down the hall. From there I fought past some enemy soldiers and jumped into the moat. from there I saw across it and ran out to your camp, and here I am. I think Ranger Will and Lady Pauline probably found hiding place to avoid the sweep."

The soldier looked so tired after this long explanation that Alyss got up to take him to the nearby well to get a cup of water while asking him more questions.

Halt immediately launched into a rapid fire conversation with Gilan. "So Will must have gone to meet Pauline, but then they heard the booming - "

" - And gone to hide. He knew they would sweep the castle so he took Pauline with him and hid."

"So now they must be going to find out where everyone is."

"And how do you know that?" Gilan smiled a little at Halt.

"I know Will. That's what he's doing. He wouldn't just sit around hiding, he's too curious, and too smart not to," Halt said fondly.

Gilan grinned widely. "I just think it's interesting that you can predict his every move."

Halt smiled now too. "Let's hope Pauline can take care of him. "

"I think that's a long shot. She'll probably abandon him and leave him helpless while she goes off and saves the day," Gilan laughed.

"That could very well happen," Halt said seriously, all trace of humor gone.

Gilan quickly changed the subject, not entirely certain how to respond to Halt's previous comment. "So Will said four hours. He said to give him four hours until we make a move. "

"That's not a lot of time, but it's definitely enough for the Genovesans to get their hands on the jewels one way or another," Halt said.

"We just have to trust that he has the situation under control. Hopefully he manages to send another messenger sometime soon to give us an update. Or maybe a better way would be to gather information, grab Pauline, and get out. Then we can get a full report from him."

"True. But right now he's trapped."

"Rangers are rarely trapped. We just make the choice not to leave and finish the work we started, even when opportunities to escape come up."

Gilan chewed his lip thoughtfully. "Four hours. Then we go in, job finished or not. "

"Four hours," Halt agreed. They both exited the tent, turned and gazed thoughtfully at the eerily still castle, wondering where Will was.


	6. Chapter 6

Will was, as a matter of fact, was slithering silently down the dark central staircase in Castle Redmont, wrapped in his cloak and cowl, his soft-soled boots making no sound on the stone floor. Pauline crept a few steps behind him, making just a little noise in her long flowing skirts and soft day slippers. Will made it to the bottom of the stairs and ghosted across the landing to stand on the other side behind a floor-length draped tapestry. When Pauline came to the bottom, he silently gestured for her to stop for a moment. He then peered out from behind the tapestry's shadow and checked the hallway. Then he gestured again, and Pauline moved quickly, smoothly, and silently across the landing and met Will under the tapestry. He moved aside so that she could have the better cover, so that she was just behind the tapestry and Will was in the dark shadow. Will checked the hallway again, and murmured softly to Pauline, "We are getting close enough to the main hall that I think you should stay here for now while I go check it out. I'll return very soon and report back. Make sure you stay behind the tapestry and don't even peek out. Just that sudden movement could make someone suspicious."

Pauline nodded wordlessly, and Will moved out from the shadow of the tapestry and into the open. He moved smoothly across the open landing and into the anteroom that attached to the main hall. He moved over to the curtains surrounding the window, melted seamlessly into its shadow, and waited for someone to come inside. Will looked around the anteroom and thought, Last time I was in here was after escaping the crowds with Alyss, not even 2 hours ago. It can't be possible something that normal could have been happening before something like this. Will sighed at the irony, and just as he got settled into his hiding place and fixed his cowl so that its shadow completely hid his face, someone pushed on the large doors and Will froze as a Genovesan entered the room. He watched as the Genovesan, who kept his back turned to Will so he couldn't identify him, pull out a small slip of paper and read what was on it carefully. Then he put it back in an inner pocket and stepped over to the even bigger main doors that lead to the main hall. Will watched him open the door widely, step through, and release the door, allowing it to start to swing shut behind him. At the last minute, Will darted out from behind the curtain and slipped through the crack in the doors, immediately diving to the left. Will knew there were large potted plants around the doors that were tall enough to give him substantial cover, and by diving to the left, he landed right behind a large potted plant. To the naked eye, it looked like a slight shadow had flitted across the door and then disappeared behind the plant. Will rose to crouched position behind the plant as the Genovesan walked on down the long carpet, oblivious to Will's entrance.

Will looked out and observed the hall. The banners on the wall had all been torn down and pictures on the wall had be slashed. At the end of the hall surrounding the audience chair was a large pack of the hired men, speaking in what sounded like Toscan. They must have been hired from Toscana, thought Will. He noticed Baron Arald, Lady Sandra, and a few more nobles were all sitting surrounded by guards at the end of the hall, cowering under the watchful eyes of the enemy soldiers. Sir Rodney was nowhere to be seen, however. There were also a couple hundred Redmont soldiers sitting in packs on the floor, their hands bound in front of them, slumped over and defeated. The were going around hitting them and screaming at them to tell them where the gems were. The soldier sitting closest to Will suddenly whimpered as the Genovesan came up to him. The Genovesan leaned over the soldier and hissed in the common language, "What did you tell the other man? What was it you said?"

The soldier flinched and said haltingly, "W - hen I was r - running to escape, I - I saw -"

"Just say it!" the Genovesan said softly, but it was all the more menacing because of it.

The soldier flinched harder. "I - it was a R - ranger, and the head diplomat, a l - lady."

"What were they doing?"

"They were - were talking."

"About?"

The soldier was now shaking violently. "They were talking to an - nother soldier, something about s - sending a message."

"To whom?"

"'Nother Ranger, I - I think."

At this the Genovesan leaned back a little and thought for a moment. Will pursed his lips nervously, worried that the soldier would be scared into revealing his or Pauline's name. But his worry was abated as the Genovesan stepped back from the soldier.

"Release him. He has given us valuable information. " The Genovesan gestured to the guards and they stepped forward and sliced off the ropes that bound his wrists. The soldier stood hesitantly, and then stumbled out of the hall when the guards near the door opened them for him. Will, intent on following and talking the the released soldier, glanced one last time at the far end of the hall and almost gasped aloud. Now among the many hired Toscans were Genovesans, at least 5 others, circulating through the men. I have to tell Halt! Seven Genovesans, Will thought. Flashbacks of Halt being hit by the Genovesan's arrow in the wilderness of Picta overwhelmed him for a moment as he remembered his cry of pain, him lying there, muttering, hallucinating, his own wild ride to Norgate to get Malcom, fighting and capturing the Genovesan... Will shook his head out of his daze of memories. He wasn't going to let that happen again, he told himself. Having seen enough, he quickly left after the released soldier, slipping once again through the narrow doors when the other men's backs were turned. Will checked his surroundings, making sure that there was no one close, then he bounded after the soldier, grabbed his shoulder and dragged him into a side office off the main hallway. The soldier tried to call out in fear, but Will clapped his hand over his mouth.

As soon as they were safely and silently inside the office, Will thrust him into a chair and hissed, "If you scream I will send you back into that hall with a black eye."

The soldier opened and closed his mouth like a fish a few times, then got himself under control and clicked his jaw shut, swallowing hard. Will waited until he had calmed down a little, and then whispered, "Do you know who I am?"

"You're Ranger Will." The soldier whispered this confidently, but he still sounded afraid.

"I heard everything you said to that Genovesan." The soldier glanced up fearfully at these words, hoping he hadn't said anything offensive to the famous Ranger. "Why didn't you tell him my name?"

The soldier shifted uncomfortably. "I - well - he didn't exactly ask, did he?"

Will stared at him for while, and then his frown softened into a faint smile. "I like how you think. You are a brave soldier. Can I trust you to deliver a message?"

The soldier's shoulders went from slumped to straight, and little bit of confidence entered his voice as he replied, "Of course. Anything for you, Ranger Will."

"Good. I need you to tell Ranger Halt that there are seven Genovesans in the castle and that Lady Pauline and myself are still uncaptured, but most everyone else is, except for Sir Rodney, who I suspect is hiding. Can you do that for me when you get to our camp?"

The soldier's eyes widened. "Seven - " he said loudly, but then he stopped and dropped his voice back to a whisper. "Seven Genovesans?"

Will nodded grimly. "You have to get that news to Ranger Halt, it may save all our lives. Can you do that for me?"

The soldier straightened his shoulders even more. Now he thrust his chest and stood with dignity and said, "Of course, Ranger Will. It would be an honor." He then tipped his chin up and strutted out of the room like a rooster. Will watched him leave, laughing inside. As soon as the soldier closed the door behind him another Genovesan appeared at the end of the hall. At this terrifying sight, the soldier kicked up his heels, all dignity forgotten, and ran full tilt down the hall and out the main door that the enemy guards had opened a little to let him through.

It was then that Will realized his mistake and dropped to the floor as the Genovesan entered the room. Will rolled silently to his left underneath the large conference table in the middle of the room as the Genovesan came up to the edge on the opposite side of the table. Will didn't dare breathe as the Genovesan's boots clicked as he walked slowly around the large table. Will could see what was coming and he knew he had to prepare. He grabbed the edges of his cloak and wrapped them tightly around his legs so that they wouldn't hang down. Then he reached up above him and grabbed the thick iron rods attached to the bottom of the table. He then raised his feet up and wrapped them around the thicker ones at the center of the table. He took a silent deep breath and tightened his arm and leg muscles, pulling himself up off the floor and flattening himself against the bottom surface of the table.

Just a few seconds later, he heard a moment of sudden silence, and then the Genovesan's head suddenly appeared under the far edge of the table, and he screamed, "HAH!"

But there was no one under the table. The Genovesan narrowed his eyes and carefully scanned the entirety of the dark shadows under the table, but saw nothing.

Will had forced himself not to move an inch, even when the Genovesan yelled. He held his breath again as the Genovesan looked straight at the end of the table he was clinging to. Will felt his muscles trembling with the strain of holding himself up far off the floor but he grit his teeth fiercely and bit the inside of his cheek to distract himself. He didn't move his head, but he looked right into the Genovesan's eyes and saw that it was one that he and Halt had been following, Giovanni. He searched for a moment longer, then frowned suspiciously, and finally stood up. Will forced himself to hold completely still until the Genovesan had left the room completely and shut the door. He hung under the table for another minute just to make sure, and then allowed his hands and legs to relax and he dropped soundlessly back to the floor and almost moaned in pain as his muscles cramped violently. He lay there for a moment, breathing deeply and painfully flexing his arms, legs, hands, and feet, allowing himself a few louder breathes to pull extra oxygen into his exhausted body. Finally, once he had recovered enough to move without too much pain, he cautiously crawled out from under the table and rose unsteadily to his feet. He took a few steps to recover his balance and he glanced out into the hallway through the window, and, seeing that it was clear, snuck out the door and down the hall. He turned a few corners and returned to the landing where the floor-length tapestry hung. He jogged lightly over to the far side and pulled back the side, only to find no one there. His heart skipped a beat as he whipped his head back and frantically glanced around for a few seconds before a sudden whisper broke the silence. "Over here!"

Will whirled around to the far side of the landing, where a small walk-in linen closet door stood open a hair, and Pauline was leaning out. Will glanced across the landing and then ghosted across to the door, which he opened and then stepped into the small dark closet. Pauline motioned for him to remain quiet as she silently shut the closet door and then walked all the way the back end, where there was another door. She reached for something, Will saw it was the door knob. She turned it and the door swung open to reveal a dusty passageway of stone. He leaned in near her ear and whispered, "Where does this lead, Pauline?"

"It goes to the wine cellar. They won't be down there, since it's padlocked from the inside by servants to prevent thieving nobles in the night. It will be a safe place for us to talk." She whispered as she started down into the passageway, Will following close behind.


	7. Chapter 7

They walked for about 2 minutes. Will coughed quietly as the air grew thick with dust. He let his hand trail on the wall and pulled it away quickly. There was dust caked on his hand and had clouded up, covering his face and hair. He noticed that Pauline's gown had gone from white to gray with streaks of dirt. But she had avoided getting as dirty as he had. They went down a great many staircases but they eventually reached a small wooden door that Pauline stopped in front of. Will turned the knob and opened the door. Inside were tall shelves stacked close together with bottles, casks, and barrels of wine and other types of alcohol. The room went pretty far back, with probably at least 50 racks of wine, beers, ales, and other stronger drinks. Looming in the front of the room was the huge double doors with chains wrapped securely around the knobs and padlocked. Near this was a table and some benches, put there for when guests would come wine tasting. Will scanned the room to make sure they were alone, and then grabbed Pauline's hand and lead her into the room. He took her over to the benches and they both sat down together for a moment in silence. Then Pauline felt a stickiness on her fingertips, glanced down, and realized there was blood on her hands, but it wasn't hers. She looked sharply at Will's hands. "Will, are you bleeding?"

"What? No I don't think so..." Will looked down at his hands. They had cuts on them and they were oozing a little blood. He reached down and pulled up the leg of his pants to reveal some bruising and cuts along the inner sides of his right calf, but his left calf was just bruised. Pauline pursed her lips and stood. She walked over to a cupboard and flung open the doors to reveal some linen cloths normally used for chilling wine. She grabbed a large stack of them and brought them back over to Will and helped him wrap up his hands and leg. He pulled his pants back over the bandage and flexed his hands gratefully. "Thanks, but really, I'm alright."

Pauline raised her eyebrows skeptically. "Are you sure about that? Do you want to explain everything that happened in detail? Then we will decide if you really are alright."

Will started at the beginning, describing the main hall, the soldiers, the interrogation, and the startling discovery of seven Genovesans.

"Seven..." Pauline whispered thoughtfully.

Will continued with the soldier escaping, him following it, and everything after that.

"So, let me get this straight. You sent this soldier off with a message for Halt. Then the Genovesan comes into the room and you roll under the table. The Genovesan paces around for a while, you grab the bottom of the table and hold yourself perfectly still for at least 3 minutes, even when he screams at you. By some small miracle he doesn't see you, and then you get back to the tapestry." Pauline smiled proudly at Will. "I've never, in all my years of knowing you, gotten the chance to work with you. I have worked with many a Ranger in my time, and let me say that only a few could have pulled that off."

Will flushed a little, and said, "Thanks, Pauline, really, it was nothing."

She raised her eyebrows. "It was a lot more than nothing. So when did you hurt your hands and leg?"

Will frowned thoughtfully. "I think I probably cut them when I was clinging to the bottom of the table for so long. I probably held on to the metal so hard that I cut my skin."

She winced. "It probably hurts. Here, I'll go open one of these bottles and get you something to drink to help with the pain." She got up, grabbed a wine tasting glass, and went over to one of the wine flasks. She pulled out the cork and let a few mouthfuls of wine trickle into the cup. Suddenly she heard a small noise behind her. She dropped the cup and whirled around, whipping her knife out of her sheath in her dress. But Will had already heard the noise, and had the gleaming blade of his saxe pressed against the intruder's chest.

"Wait - wait - " the person said in a gruff, deep voice. The person was most definitely a man, and a large one at that. He was built up and wore a long dark gray cloak with the hood pulled up. He was pushed up against the wall by Will, who pressed his knife deeper into the broad sternum of the man.

"Quiet. Drop your sword on the floor now," Will said softly. The man fell silent and dropped his sword on the ground. "Now, who are you? And how did you get in here?"

The man said, "Wait, Will, it's - it's me - "

"I didn't ask for my name, I asked for yours." Will said softly, pushing the knife in deeper, slicing the front of the cloak.

Then the man laughed. "Rodney. Will, it's me. It's Rodney."

Will stood there for a moment, his narrowed at the cloaked figure, then said passionately, "My God, Rodney." He immediately sheathed his knife and stepped back as the man lowered his hood, revealing the dirty but smiling face of Sir Rodney. "I don't know who I thought you were, but I sure wasn't expecting you."

Pauline stepped in front of Will and shook hands with him, and then lead him over to the chairs and they all sat. "Rodney. I heard from Will that he hadn't seen you in the audience hall, and I hoped you had escaped. It's good to see you safe, and - well, mostly clean. What happened to you?"

"Yes, it's good to see you, Rodney, but what happened?" Will said.

"Well..." Rodney walked back over to the cask of wine and filled some new cups for himself, Pauline, and Will. "I was just in the courtyard, overseeing a group of trainees for my intermediate class when all the portcullises started shutting. Now of course that means there's an emergency, so I evacuated my classes out a back exit. I ran up towards the Baron's office to find him, but he wasn't there." He took the three filled cups back over to where Will and Pauline were sitting and gave them their drinks. "Next thing I knew there were packs of soldiers I didn't know running down the hall after me. I cut a few of them down and ran. I tried to leave but the exits were shut and guarded, so I hid in here via the linen closet on the landing." He took a large gulp of his wine.

Will leaned forward a bit. "But why didn't you come out when we came in?"

"I was way in the back of the cellar, and I couldn't tell who you were. Of course it didn't help that I could barely see you, Will. You sort of merged in and out of view as you entered the cellar, and I didn't think about the fact that it could have been you or Halt."

Will grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, can't really help it."

Rodney shrugged. "It's alright. I didn't even see Pauline, since I was focused on you, Will. I could hear you talking, but you were still to quiet to understand, so I waited. As soon as I recognized Pauline's" - he nodded at her, "voice, I came up behind you. You know the rest."

Will's brow furrowed thoughtfully. "So you managed to hide. Did they recognize you when they saw you?"

"Nope. I pulled my cloak on." Rodney tipped his glass back and finished off his wine, then got up to go refill his glass from a different cask at the end of the cellar.

Will turned to Pauline and smiled faintly at her. "Speaking of subterfuge, when I got back to the tapestry and you weren't there, I was so worried..."

"Yes, but I had to move. It was too exposed and you were gone for too long." Pauline sipped her wine, glad for the smooth, strong taste wetting her throat, which was dry from the long nerve-wracking minutes of waiting for Will.

"Looking back on it, it was irrational panic. I think was just strung up too tightly," said Will.

"Strung up too tightly indeed," Pauline smiled, her eyes glittering with humor, but then became serious again. "What are you planning on doing now?"

"Well..." Will thought for a moment, organized his thoughts, and then continued. "Looking at the hall, right now our priority should be to get most of the people out of there, which would be mostly castle staff and soldiers. They should be the easiest to get out, since the Genovesans don't have any real reason for keeping them hostage other than for ransom or bargaining. And of course, we have Sir Rodney."

He paused again, and Pauline urged him on. "So how will we do that?"

"Well, I was thinking about a decoy..." He looked meaningfully at Pauline, and she smiled widely at Will.

"This is going to be so much fun," she said softly.


	8. Chapter 8

Halt gazed out over the landscape surrounding Castle Redmont. Now that he had advanced the troops right up to the walls of the city, he had a much better view of the castle in its entirety and of the surrounding land. Two hours left, Will, he thought. I really hope you have a plan, and you had better have started that plan right now, because you are running out of time. Halt wished he could go find Will; just slip inside the castle, unnoticed by everyone, locate Will and Pauline and help them. Or at least get them out of there. But he knew that he had blown that chance. He had been talking to Gilan in private about possibly going through with a plan like that when Alyss had joined them. She had heard what they were saying, and she had said, "Don't you dare do that! Will's still got 2 hours left! And don't forget we need you, Halt! We can't do this without you, since everyone else who could command a force this size is still inside the castle! So don't even consider it for a moment!" She had said this all very softly, but there was steel in her voice, and ever since, she had come to check on him every fifteen minutes. Of course Halt had realized all of this on his own and had discarded the idea, but he respected Alyss and patiently allowed her to watch him.

"Interrupting some deep thoughts, aren't I?" Gilan's voice snapped Halt out of his thoughts, and Halt turned to him, who was leaning casually in the table next to him. They were standing in a small tent just inside the camp, centered in front of the draw bridge. Halt sighed softly and said,

"I just don't like waiting for something to happen. I wish I could go - go and help him - "

Gilan put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. I feel the same way. But we have to give Will a chance. He's still got two hours."

"I know..." Halt trailed off in thought again.

"Wait - I - I don't believe it! Halt, look! Someone is running across the drawbridge! The portcullis is up and the the bridge is down!"

Halt whirled around and squinted at the bridge. Sure enough, the portcullis was up and the bridge was down, and a man was running down the bridge. Halt ran out of the tent with Gilan close behind and ran up to the head of the camp. Soldiers were sticking their head out of their tents, curious as to what was going on. Halt kept running, and yelled, "Stand down! The situation is being handled! Stand down!" The men didn't withdraw into their tents again, but they lost their anxious or stoic expressions and only looked curious.

Halt and Gilan reached the edge of the camp and they stopped, peering at the man as he drew closer. Halt was able to make out a rumpled but visible palace guard uniform. "It's a soldier..."

"Or is it?" Gilan said. Halt nodded at him, acknowledging his point that it could be an enemy in disguise.

But it became apparent that this was not the case as the soldier came up to the camp, he shouted, "I was released by the Genovesans! I have a message from Ranger Will for Ranger Halt!"

Halt exchanged glances with Gilan, who shrugged, and then he called, "Come closer! Identify yourself!"

The soldier jogged up a little closer until he was a few feet from Halt and Gilan. He then stopped and said, "Merric Whitman, Third Lieutenant of the Redmont Palace Guard at your service, Rangers Halt and Gilan sir!" The lieutenant saluted smartly.

Halt raised his eyebrows. "Well, Lieutenant Whitman, you say you have a message from Ranger Will? How can we be certain that you are who you say you are? How can we be certain that you aren't just a spy sent out by the enemy to gather information? How can we be certain about anything?"

Gilan nodded along with Halt's words. "What if Ranger Will was captured and you're just lying?"

The lieutenant shifted uncomfortably. "Rangers, I don't know if I can reassure you as to my identity, but ask me a question and I will do my best to answer it."

Halt turned to Gilan. "Will managed to pick a much more calm and collected soldier than last time. At least this one is coherent and honest."

Gilan nodded and grinned. "And this one isn't sweating like a pig."

The lieutenant looked back and forth between the Rangers, contemplating as to whether he was going to say anything, but resolved to be silent and let them do the talking. The Halt turned back to him. "I think we believe you, Lieutenant Whitman. Now about that message, please tell us now."

The soldier cleared his throat, and then said, "Ranger Will told me to inform you that there are seven Genovesans on the premises of Castle Redmont. He also wished me to tell you that he and the Lady Pauline are uncaptured for the moment, as well as Sir Rodney, who was not with him. Ranger Will assumes that he is hiding somewhere the Castle Redmont. That is all."

Halt's brow furrowed and Gilan went a little pale. "Wait, hold on, are you sure? Did Will really say seven?" Gilan said, astonished.

The soldier licked his lips nervously. "I wish I weren't, but that is exactly what he told me. Seven total Genovesans in the castle."

Halt just stood there, thinking furiously. Gilan watched him for a moment, and then turned back to the soldier. "So, seven Genovesans, he and Pauline are okay for now, and Sir Rodney is also free and somewhere in the castle? That's all you have for us?"

"Yes." The lieutenant relaxed, and Gilan nodded for him to go. The soldier gratefully ran off toward some other soldier he recognized, and Gilan turned to Halt.

"What are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking," Halt muttered, "that Will is running out of time. How much does he have?"

"Little less than 2 hours, I think," Gilan said, squinting up at the sun's position in the sky.

"He needs to do something soon, or we are going to have to do it for him."

Halt turned and walked back into the camp, with Gilan following close behind.


	9. Chapter 9

Will looked across the landing at Pauline, who crouched behind the tapestry, and nodded at her. She nodded back, and he glanced over at Rodney, who also nodded. He was hiding on the same stairs landing they had been at just an hour before, except now they had a plan to get all the soldiers out. They all got up and slowly made their way down the stairs. They all stopped at the base of the stairs and they ducked into a small room just inside the hallway. Will shut the door soundlessly, then whispered, "Rodney, Pauline, you know what to do, right?"

Rodney nodded. "Of course we do, Will. Just tell us when."

"Alright. Go."

Rodney grabbed the door and pushed it open, then crept out into the hallway, making his way toward the anteroom. Will turned and let Pauline through. "Alright. You remember what to - "

"Yes, I do. Will, stop worrying. This is going to work out fine."

Will glanced worriedly at her, then looked down at his hands. "I just - I feel like Halt would do something different. I'm sure there are flaws in my plan, he would notice them. And if anything happened to you, I would - "

"You need to stop worrying about me, and worry about yourself. My part in this plan is not nearly as dangerous as yours. I am going to be just fine, it's almost easy for me. I'm worried more about you. And Halt is worried about both of us." She put her hand on his shoulder. "He will stand by any decisions you make in the field, because he trusts your judgement wholeheartedly." Pauline smiled faintly at the young man in front of her and marvelled the man he had become. So young, with so much responsibility.

Will grinned nervously at her. "Thanks, Pauline. You had better go now. Rodney is waiting for us."

She reached up and touched his cheek gently. "Oh, and one more thing. I know that something is off about your plan. I understand why you didn't tell me the whole truth about it, but all the same... Don't take unnecessary risks. Good luck, and I hope for yours, mine, and everyone out there's sakes that you get out." She pointed out the window, where the Araluen war camp could be clearly seen. Then she got up and left the small room.

Will didn't reply, just stared after her as she left. Then he sat back and thought about what she had said, all of it had been true. He knew that part of what he had told Pauline was a lie. When he constructed his plan, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to escape with them. He took a few deep breathes, and then got up and left the room.

He ran lightly down the steps and, without any attempt to conceal himself, entered the anteroom. Thankfully, no one was in there, and he slung his bow off his shoulder and notched three arrows on the string. Then he brought his leg up and kicked the large doors open with a resounding CRASH! and entered the audience hall, pulling his bow up to full draw.

Pauline moved into position, which was behind a potted plant in the anteroom. She watched silently as Will entered the room shortly after her. He notched 3 arrows in his bow, kicked open the door, and lept through it. Immediately she heard him call out, "King's Ranger! Drop your weapons and surrender!" Pauline waited a moment longer until he advanced farther into the room, then she got up and moved toward the doors. She peeked inside. Will had moved up farther into the hall, holding his bow at full draw. The captured soldiers on the ground looked up, their eyes wide with awe and fear, and they made way for Will to walk through. The seven Genovesans at the front all had turned around and had drawn their knives or loaded their brows bows, and had them all trained on Will's distant but quickly advancing figure. "As I understand it, you are all looking for some jewels, are you not?" Will said cheerfully, picking his way through the bunches of soldiers.

The Genovesan in the front hissed at him. "Ranger Will. You finally have revealed yourself. Where is the lady you were also with... Lady Pauline?"

Will just kept walking forward. "She is safe at the war camp outside the castle, along with Sir Rodney. Now it's just you and me."

Pauline, certain that all their attention was focused on Will, slipped silently into the hall and hid behind another plant. She made her way along behind the plant and passed through into the curtains. She inched her way along the wall until she was halfway down the hall. She peeked out again at the Genovesans. Not a single person had noticed her, and she continued to make her way down the side of the hall as Will kept conversing with the assassins. "Just you and me? What about my six colleagues behind me? I think it's more like just you and us."

"That makes no difference to me. Now put down your weapons and surrender."

Clink... Pauline almost swore under her breath as a button from a guard's jacket was kicked by her slippered foot and went skittering across the stone floor. The Genovesans all turned and looked in her general direction, but Will didn't even twitch in her direction. He released his three arrows. One of them hit an enemy soldier, punching through his leather armor. He was dead before he hit the ground. Another hit a soldier next to him in the thigh, and he grunted and toppled over on top of a third guard. The third arrow screeched on the steps just under the Genovesans' feet. They all hissed and immediately turned back toward him. But a Will had already notched another three arrows and now was within point blank range of all seven Genovesans. "Don't look away from me when I'm talking to you!" Will called out loudly. Pauline recognized this as Will's attempt to draw the attention back to himself.

Well, you certainly have done that, if not decreased your chances of survival from little to nothing, Pauline thought. She slipped along behind some more curtains, ghosting past multiple enemy guards. Then she saw her target: the small group of prisoners huddled in the far corner of the hall. This group included Baron Arald, Lady Sandra, Sir Nigel, Master Chubb, a few more nobles, and a couple of high rank guests that had been staying in Redmont Castle. They had their wrists bound in front of them with leather thongs. Pauline glanced around furtively to see if there were any soldiers looking her way, then, seeing that the coast was clear, she smoothly walked out from under the bush and sat down right next to Baron Arald. She then sat completely still as she saw a guard turn his head to look over at the group. She had sat down so that her face was cast in shadow, and the guard didn't see anything unexpected; just another group of prisoners. He turned away without a second thought, and Pauline breathe out a quiet sigh of relief. Only then did Baron Arald notice her. He turned his head slightly and gave a small gasp as he saw that it was Pauline. He started to whisper something, but Pauline shook her head slightly, and the Baron stopped. He turned away from her and continued looking off into the distance, not warning anyone of the new arrival to the group.

Pauline turned her attention back to Will. "... Your employer? Why would he send seven of you to steal some pitiful jewels?"

The Genovesan in front hissed again. He seemed to do that a lot, thought Pauline wryly. "Those are not just 'some pitiful jewels'. Those are the Twelve Rubies of King Durcham. He was one of the first kings of Picta, and during his reign those rubies were mined out from under a mountain. They are extremely valuable, worth almost as much as half of your kingdom of Araluen. And as for my employer..." The Genovesan smirked. "You don't need to worry about him. He is just the average greedy bastard who already has way too much money. We work for his kind all the time. He is no one of importance."

Will shrugged this off as if it was no big deal. "Well, so what if this random lord wants these jewels? You still haven't answered my question."

"He wanted to ensure that he would get them, so he hired all seven of us." The Genovesan turned around and gestured to the other six behind him. Then he turned back and puffed out his chest. "I am Guido, the paid leader of this job. And behind me is Mario, although I think you know him already."

Mario stepped forward, brandishing his crossbow threateningly and scowling at Will. "Next time it will not be you and your friend sneaking up on me, it will be me sneaking up on you."

Will just shrugged again. Pauline could see that the Genovesans were very angry with Will's nonchalant manner. "I don't think you'll ever get that chance, my friend," said Will.

Pauline finally turned to Baron Arald and whispered in his ear, "It's me, Pauline. Don't turn or look at me while I talk to you." The Baron nodded slightly to show he understood and kept looking away. "Will has a plan to get us all out. Rodney and I are standing by to help get everyone out while Will is going to lead the Genovesans away from this room so we can get out." The Baron said nothing, and carefully kept his face relaxed. "I have a knife in my hand, I want you to move your hands over to me and I will cut the ropes. Do not take them off, just leave them so that it looks like you are still tied up. Do you understand?" The Baron nodded again. Pauline drew her knife as the Baron slowly moved his hands over to her, and she sliced one of the ropes. Immediately the binding went slack, and the Baron's face flashed a small smile of relief before he got a hold of himself. Then Pauline whispered again, "Now I am going to give you my knife. I want you to lean in and tell Lady Sandra the same thing I told you. Then cut her bonds, and give her the knife, and so on. Pass it around until everyone is free, but make sure you don't remove the cut ropes. It will make it look like nothing has happened."

The Baron nodded one final time. He turned his head every so slightly, gave Pauline a small smile, and whispered hopefully, "I knew Will and you would come through."

Pauline smiled. "He always does. He made up the plan, I'm just doing my part."

"Well, you are doing your part very well." The Baron turned back around.

Pauline listened to what Will was saying. "...Well, then you'll have to come and get me, because I have no intention of doing that."

Will turned suddenly and ran at full tilt for the main doors, his boots thumping on the stone floor.

"After him!" cried Guido, and he and Mario, as well as six of the seven Genovesans sprinted after Will. As he ran, Will whirled around and let off a volley of three arrows. Two of them hit enemy soldiers trying to follow him in the chest and neck, killing them almost instantly. The final arrow flew off into the pack of running Genovesans and punched through the leather shoulder armor of one in the back. He screamed in pain and fell to the floor, clutching his bleeding shoulder in agony, which was gushing blood. None of the other Genovesans even flinched. They kept running down the hall after Will, who had already disappeared out the door. Now the only people left in the room were some confused enemy soldiers and two Genovesans, one standing at the end of the hall, keeping watch, while the other lay on the carpet, moaning in pain as a small puddle of blood formed under his shoulder. The hall was silent, all except for the heavy breathing of the remaining Genovesans and moans of pain from the bleeding one.

Then Rodney charged in through the side door, his sword shining and swinging, yelling a war cry.


	10. Chapter 10

Rodney waited in the hallway next to the audience hall next to a side door. He drew his sword and swung it back and forth in his hand, warming up his wrist, waiting for his signal. He listened through the door crack. "King's Ranger! Drop your weapons and surrender!" He heard Will yell as the main doors banged open, setting the wall next to him rumbling. He looked through a crack in the stones and could see Pauline ducking through the plants, curtains, and other drapery on the far side, unnoticed by all. Will kept up some muffled conversation with the Genovesans, most of which Rodney couldn't hear very well. At one point he yelled, "Don't look away from me when I'm talking to you!" Something must have happened to Pauline to make him yell that loudly, Rodney thought. Maybe she fell or made some noise. Pauline made her way to the Baron, sat there for a moment, and then started whispered to him. Rodney pressed his ear up against the door crack, thinking, And here's one of the flaws Will knew would inevitably come up. How am I supposed to hear my signal if I can't even hear him?

"...you should... Weapons... Surrender!" Rodney assumed that was one of the Genovesians. Will didn't have an accent like that.

"... Have... Come and get me... I... No intention... That." That was definitely Will, thought Rodney. And that was definitely part of my signal phrase. I had better get ready.

Rodney listened as the thumping of boots filled the hall and the familiar whiz THUNK! of Will's arrows as he shot. Then the running sounds grew faint as Will ran out of the hall. Rodney turned away from the side door and looked down the hallway and saw the green gray blurr flit by the end of the hallway, which had to be Will. Then, only moments later, a larger pack of purple-cloaked men ran by, and then after that a small pack of the enemy soldiers. Rodney waited until the hallway went mostly silent, then turned, brought up his sword, and kicked down the side door, screaming a war cry as he went.

Rodney cut down any enemy soldiers that came at him with one or two slashes at most. After dispatching at least 8 of them, the rest of the soldiers in that room, about twenty, realized that they had no chance, and ran off down the long hall and out the main doors. They turned right instead of left like Will and the Genovesans had, so Rodney knew that the runaway soldiers were headed for the drawbridge. Big surprise that'll be to find a huge army sitting out there waiting for you, he thought as he slashed the chest of one of the few soldiers left in the hall. He glanced over at the other side of the hall and saw that Pauline had stood up with the Baron, Lady Sandra, and the others. The Baron had retrieved his sword from a pile at the end of the hall and was cutting down the remaining soldiers. Pauline had her knife in her hand and was stabbing at any soldier foolish enough to think she was an easy target. Then Rodney turned and saw the Genovesan. He was shooting down any soldiers that tried to run. Rodney advanced toward him. The Genovesan noticed and put down his crossbow and few his daggers. Rodney heaved his heavy broadsword at him very suddenly and managed to cut his arm on the first try. The Genovesan fought back, but he staggered under the massive weight of the broadsword.

They exchanged blows for a few seconds, and Rodney received a nick on his jaw from a dagger that stung badly. Soon, the Genovesan could no longer hold off the terrible blows, and Rodney swung his sword over his head in a massive overhand swing and bright it down on the assassin's two daggers. One of them shattered on impact, the other fell from his grip. The blow continued its downward movement, and Rodney felt the tip of his sword penetrate the Genovesan's rib cage. He felt the Genovesan take his final breath, then he pulled his sword out of the body and wiped it on the carpet. Then he turned and slashed at the remaining enemy soldiers that had been stupid enough to stand and watch him fight the assassin. He glanced one final time at the dead Genovesan. He felt no regret. The other assassin who had been shot by Will had bled out on the carpet, and now lay dead in a shining pool of his own blood. Having cut down all soldiers in his immediate vicinity, he ran over to the other side and joined Pauline and the Baron in dispatching the remaining soldiers. When the hall was finally clear of enemy soldiers, the Baron, Pauline, and Rodney stood there, panting into the silence.

Only then did they notice that all of the captive Redmont soldiers were staring up at them in awe. Pauline let them stare for a few more moments before finally breaking the tense silence by whispering, "All right men, you all should know our names, but if not, I'll enlighten you. I am Lady Pauline, this is Baron Arald, and Sir Rodney." She gestured to each of the men in turn and they nodded. "As you observed, Ranger Will, who is also trapped within these walls, has devised and already put into motion a plan to get us all out. But right now we have no time, as he is off distracting the Genovesans while we escape. So right now I need everyone to get up and run for the drawbridge. We will be sure to explain everything to you all once we get out. But one more thing! Make sure to be as quiet as you can! Ranger Will's distraction won't work if we make too much noise. So be quiet and run!" The soldiers all listened in mild shock to her soft speech, then everything sunk in at once and they all got up, completely ignoring Pauline's attempt to quiet them. I'm sorry, Will. I tried... She winced as a huge rattling sound and dull murmur filled the hall as the mass of men prepared to leave. Then they began running. A thundering sound filled the hall and surrounding corridors as the men ran out of the hall and down the hall way, out to the drawbridge. Pauline turned to Baron Arald and Sir Rodney, who were showing Lady Sandra and the rest of the nobles out.

"Did Will say to do anything else?" asked Baron Arald.

"Well, he said to get everyone out, and then follow them," Pauline said, remembering his orders.

"Come on, walk this way." She started leading them back toward the main doors.

"What, and leave without him? Abandon him in a castle that has no one left in it but... What, five, I think? Five assassins baying for his blood? Is he crazy, stupid, or suicidal?" Baron Arald said angrily.

Sir Rodney raised his eyebrows at the Baron. "I don't think Will would appreciate that, and don't forget, he can fend for himself better than any of us could. In fact, he's better off on his own." The Baron looked suitably chastened at this, and, realizing that his outburst was just his own personal anger and fear, mumbled an apology.

"He's none of those things, he just wants to keep us safe." Pauline decided she wasn't going to tell Rodney and the Baron about Will's lie. She stopped walking turned to the two men. "So I was thinking it might be a good idea to check in with Halt now. Since there are less people in the castle now, it will be easier to renter later if we need to; also he probably wants a status report on all of us. We can explain what's going on and Halt can try to work with and support Will's plan." And that will give me a chance to talk to Halt about Will and get him to go in and help him, she added silently.

Rodney grinned at her. "This is why I let you decide, your ideas are always the best."

The three of them turned and left the audience hall and headed for the draw bridge.


	11. Chapter 11

Halt was the first one to recognize the rumbling. He stood in front of the camp, not really looking at the drawbridge, which was now lowered, lost in thought. Then suddenly the ground beneath him began to rumble and the portcullis started to rise. Then he heard yelling and the thumping of hundreds of feet on the ground. Halt squinted into the late afternoon sun as hundreds of Redmont guards came pouring out of the main castle exit, through the small courtyard, and through the main arch to the opening portcullis. Gilan came running out from under the command tent to watch with Halt. "What's going on?"

"Will got them out."

Gilan had no response to this, and he turned back to watch the spectacle.

The men hunched over a little bit to get under the slowly rising portcullis, but had no trouble a few seconds later once the bars had risen high enough to allow them all throught. They came pouring across the drawbridge, and, with delighted cries and shouts, spilled into the camp, immediately greeting their comrades. Once each and every soldier had filtered his way into the camp, the last of the stragglers came running down the bridge. There were only about ten of them, and Halt could make out Lady Sandra among them. Then he saw an even smaller group come sprinting down the bridge as well, and even from a long way away, he could make out the form of his lovely wife, along with the much bulkier figures of Baron Arald and Sir Rodney.

Gilan also saw this and gave a sigh of relief. "They all made it..."

"Not all of them." Halt started walking up toward the two smaller groups that were running. Lady Sandra and her group came up first.

"Ranger Halt! Thank goodness! Is my husband back there?" She gasped as she ran up.

"Yes, but right now I need you to get the others settled into the camp. Can you do that?"

She nodded and guided the other off deeper into the camp. Halt waited patiently as Pauline came running up with Rodney and the Baron. She looked up and saw him waiting, and she smiled a big, beautiful smile. Halt couldn't hide his own smile as she jogged lightly up to him. He stepped forward and she fell into his arms, hugging him tightly. Then she kissed him lightly on the lips for a few precious seconds, and then stepped back.

"Pauline, are you alright? It's so good to see you safe."

"Oh, don't worry about me, Halt, I'm just a little dirty and bruised at the worst. What about yourself? What happened with you and Alyss?"

"I'm fine, so is Alyss, and I'll explain everything to you and everyone else in one moment. But one thing... "

"You want to know where Will is." This wasn't a question, it was Pauline already knowing what Halt was thinking.

He sighed. "Yes. Is he coming out in a few minutes? What was his plan?"

Pauline gave him a sad smile. "I think we both have a lot of explaining to do. Why don't we continue this somewhere where I can get a drink of something? My throat is parched."

"Of course." They both turned back towards the camp.

Will ran down the hall at a full out sprint. He had just taunted the Genovesans to 'come and get him' and now he had gotten exactly what he wanted: they were coming to get him. As he ran he turned, pulled back his three arrows, and released them, killing the two nearest guards and firing a rouge arrow into the pack of assassins to create chaos. He didn't turn around, but he heard the scream of pain as one of the Genovesans fell. So now there must be five, though Will as he ran though the main doors and hung a hard left, skidding precariously on the smooth stones. He accelerated into another full sprint as he barreled down the hallway. He could hear the five men following him, just barely ten meters behind him. He turned a corner and sprinted up two flights of stairs. Now his lungs were burning horribly, but he knew he had to keep going. He had to give Pauline and Rodney time. He ran for a full five minutes, running up staircases, going through tiny rooms and not turning in any particular directional pattern to keep his enemies guessing. Suddenly the hallway ended and he was inside a large storage cleaning closet. Will tried to turn around but he could hear the assassins, and they were already too close. Having no other choice and not enough time, Will ducked behind the door into the shadow of a large barrel and crouched there, trying to calm his gasping breath and racing heart.

The Genovesans reached the outside of the closet, and Will painfully forced himself to hold his breath as the door creaked open. Then four of the five Genovesans entered the small closet, and one stayed outside to keep watch. Mario kicked a box over, and then called out, "Ranger Will! You had better come out this time! You have no chance of escaping! This room has one door and we are guarding it."

Will looked around, only moving his eyes, and saw that Mario was right. Five assassins stood between him and his only chance of freedom. Will knew that the fight was already lost. Well, if they are going to get me, the least I can do is not hand them my weapons. He carefully unclipped his quiver and dropped his knives and strikers in a small pile behind the barrel. Then he got his bow in the edge of his shoulder, ready to be flung off. Then he readied himself, and jumped. He leapt out his hiding place, shedding his bow instantly and jumping onto Mario. He squeezed his fingers around his neck, cutting off his air, and bit down on his ear. He heard Mario retching in pain before the tip of a boot walloped him in the side. He gasped and slid off Mario, clutching at his side. Mario also collapsed to the floor, retching and heaving. Someone kicked him in the other side, knocking out his breath. His vision went blurry as his oxygen-deprived body desperately sucked in air, and then he saw the other four Genovesans standing over him.

"Hello Ranger...Will? Is that your name? So kind of you to join us."

"If you're going to kill me, just get on with it." Will gasped as he tried to focus on the assassin's face. He thought it was Guido or Giovanni.

"We won't be killing you just yet, Ranger Will, we need something you have."

"And what would that be?"

"The location of the rubies."

"I won't give it to you." Just then the floor rumbled and shouts and calls filled the echoing halls. Mario got up from the floor, massaging his neck. "What was that?"

The assassin outside keeping watch leaned inside and said, "It sounded like it was coming from the main audience hall..."

Then realization dawned on Mario's face, and he glared at Will. "You didn't."

Will grinned triumphantly at him and said, "I did."

Mario whirled around and spoke in rapid Toscan to two of the assassins. Will didn't understand any of it, but then Mario dashed out of the room, with two of the others. Now there was only two Genovesans left guarding Will. Will lay on the ground, desperately trying to think of a way to get out of there. God, what Halt would say to me if he saw me like this. Then his eyes saw the thick handled broom balanced above the door as well as his throwing knife that poked out from behind the barrel and he got an idea. He readied himself, then abruptly kicked out his left foot towards to door. The Genovesan saw his movement and turned toward him threateningly, but he didn't move from his position. Will kicked the door frame hard enough that the broom fell... Right onto the head of the first Genovesan. He didn't even have a chance and was out cold before he hit the ground. The other assassin immediately turned around and leaped at Will, who had crawled backward painfully and grasped his knife. He thrust it out to block the assassin's first blow. Will pulled himself up off the floor desperately as the dagger in the Genovesan's hand drove into the wood right next to his face, and he stumbled over a bucket and fell between some barrels. Then he saw a mop with a bucket on top and he shoved his elbow against the mop handle. The Genovesan drew his arm back for the killing blow, certain that Will had no chance left... Then he felt a sudden pain on the side of his head, then all went black. He didn't even remember hitting the floor.

Will lay there against the wall, panting heavily and gasping in pain as each breath hurt. He kicked the bucket off of the assassin and propped the mop back up against the wall. Once he had his breathing back under control, he grasped the barrels on each side of him and pulled himself up. He gritted his teeth as the movement hurt his ribs. He put his fingers on his side and felt around for a break. Sure enough, he felt a rough spot. Cracked at least, maybe broken...

Will put his pain aside for a moment, and took all of the dead assassins' weapons and threw them out the window into the moat. Then he grabbed his thumb cuffs, and put them on the two unconscious assassins. Then he grabbed a short length of laundry rope from one of the cupboards, tied each of their ankles together, and dragged the two men over to the large closet. He propped them each up and hung them from the hooks installed in the ceiling. Then he stuffed some cloth in their mouth. Satisfied with his work, he shut the closet door and locked it. Then he grabbed his weapons from behind the barrel, and locked the main door to the closet from the outside. He turned and stared off down the end of the hallway. What should I do now? Leave the castle, meet up with Halt, or I could go and get the jewels before I leave, I could stay and catch the rest of the Genovesans...

Then he remembered that the Genovesans would get to the audience hall any minute and, hopefully, find all his men plus two of his comrades dead, as well as all of his prisoners gone. Then he would return with terrible hatred and fury, force him to get the rubies, and then kill him. Will shuddered slightly, and wrapped his arm around his ribs. Then he limped off down the hallway in search of a hiding place.


	12. Chapter 12

Halt stood with Pauline in the command tent with Gilan and Sir Rodney. The Baron had gone off the check on his wife. Pauline and Rodney were drinking from cups of water, and Gilan ran his hands through his hair thoughtfully. They had just finished talking with Pauline and Rodney, and now they were thinking about everything that and happened.

"So the time limit is gone right? Will got the prisoners out. Now we just need to get him and the jewels out before the assassins get to either one," Gilan said.

Halt nodded. "Will still doesn't have much time. But there is no reason to count minutes anymore."

Alyss came running into the tent. "Will! Have any of you seen Will? I saw the the people escaping, but he wasn't with them. I already checked the medical tent, he's not there either..."

She trailed off as Pauline gave her a sad smile. "He's not here, Alyss, he's still in there."

She looked confused for a moment, then she looked at Halt for confirmation. He just stared at her, stone-faced. She turned back to the group, struggling to keep her emotions in check. "Well, why isn't he here? Why didn't he escape with you?"

There was an awkward silence as neither Ranger really wanted to explain this fact to Alyss, since they knew it would upset her.

"Alyss, come sit with me. I'm going to explain everything to you." Pauline could see that Alyss was struggling, so she patted the bench she was sitting on and beckoned to her. Alyss walked over and sat down next to her mentor, who gave her a warm hug. When Alyss sat back, she looked a little more in control, but she was still a little pale. Pauline started talking to her, giving her a brief summary of everything that had happened.

Gilan and Halt were quietly discussing everything Pauline had told them. "I didn't know there were hooks outside the windows!" Gilan exclaimed. "I would have liked to know that!"

"That's cause you haven't ever been stationed at Redmont. I invented those hooks," Halt muttered.

Gilan scowled at him. "Would have been nice to know..."

"And another thing. Pauline, how did you say that Will hid from that Genovesan in the meeting room after he sent his second message?"

Pauline glanced up from talking with Alyss. "Oh, he hung under the table."

Rodney raised his eyebrows. "Never heard of that before. It's a miracle the Genovesan didn't see him."

"No, the Genovesans saw what he expected to see, which was nothing. He didn't think Will could hide under the table, because normally just laying under a table isn't a hiding place at all," Halt pointed out.

"True, so since he wasn't expecting to see Will hanging from the table..." Gilan said.

"He didn't see him," Halt finished.

"Another thing, about these rubies, how many are there?" Rodney said.

"Twelve. At least, that's what Mario said to Will," Pauline said.

"And you said they were from Picta?"

"Yes."

Gilan glanced at Rodney. "We should go find out more about these rubies."

"Sounds good."

Gilan and Rodney both walked out of the tent, heading for the food tent, in deep conversation about the details of the rubies.

Alyss looked up from her daze. Pauline had finished explaining, and now she was staring off into the distance with unfocused eyes. "Wait, so I still don't understand something. Why isn't he here? I mean, why didn't he escape with the rest of you? Didn't he say that he was going to lead the Genovesans away and then escape himself?"

Pauline glanced at Halt sadly, who had his back to them and was looked out the tent door at the castle, then turned back to Alyss and put an arm around her. "He lied. He constructed his plan so that we would all escape almost indefinitely... But that would require him to sacrifice himself to them as an extra distraction. He knew from the beginning that he wasn't going to escape in the first place... He told us that he would just so that we would get out. I suspected it, but I couldn't think of any other possibilities."

Alyss's eyes grew wide. "So you mean that... He knew he wasn't going to make it anyway? So he sent you all off to safety, but now he's in terrible danger!" Pauline could see her eyes watering a little, but Alyss was holding it in. "Why - why would he do that?"

"He was keeping us all safe," Halt said softly.

There was a moment of contemplative silence.

Alyss clenched her jaw angrily. "If he gets out of there, I'm going to - "

"When. When he gets out." Halt turned around and Pauline recognized the steely look in his eyes.

"But you don't know - "

"I do. I know because he's Will." Halt turned back around. "And I know because I'm going in there with him."

Pauline stood up and walked over to him, wrapping an arm around him. "Are you sure? What about Gilan? Will he go too?"

He put his arm around her. "No, he should stay back here and hold down the fort. He's going to need all the help he can get out here. Besides, more than one or two people would be too many for maneuvering inside the castle unseen."

Pauline kissed him gently, then said, "Come and see me before you leave. I am going to get some food." She turned and walked out of the tent.

Halt started to gather up his things, grabbing his bow from the chair next to the table. He looked up as Alyss walked up to him and said, "One thing, Halt."

He nodded for her to continue. "Yes?"

"Get him out. I don't care about these blasted rubies. Just... Keep him safe."

Halt took her hands in his. "I will do my very best."

She smiled. "Then he'll be fine. I'll see you both very soon." She turned her back and walked calmly out of the tent.

Halt ghosted through the trees towards the castle. He ducked carefully under each patch of cover, moving as stealthily as possible to avoid detection. He could see someone standing on the far tower wall, holding a crossbow. It's pretty safe to say that must be one of the Genovesans. How many did Pauline say are left? Five. So since that one is up there that means there are only four out with Will. Halt made it to the edge of the moat, right next to the drawbridge. He and Gilan had decided that he was going to slip through the main entrance. Even though it was the most visible spot, there were only a few hostile men left in the castle and Halt was certain he could make it through without being seen.

Halt looked up towards the far tower, and, seeing that the assassin was turned away, he ran lightly down the drawbridge and ducked under the open portcullis. He slipped behind the crank mechanism used to raise the gate and sat very still, waiting for the yell of alarm signaling that he had been seen. But there was none. Halt released the breath he hadn't realized he was holding, and thought through what he had to do now that he was inside. Find Will, get the rubies, get out.

He stood up from behind the crank and ghosted through the courtyard, finally entering the castle through the servants' kitchen entrance. He opened the small door to reveal the inner rooms of Master Chubb's kitchen: the oven room, multiple food pantries for dry and perishable foods, and clean surfaces used for food prep and presentation. Then, seeing the freshly baked bread abandoned on the counter and some open crates of apples, he wondered, When was the last time I ate? It wouldn't hurt to borrow just a little snack... He snatched the bread off the counter and tucked it into his jerkin. Then he grabbed a couple apples and slipped them into his pockets. He debated filling his water skin, then dismissed the idea. It would be too loud to pump the water. Halt wove his way through the counters and out the other door, into multiple dining halls. He was about to move out of the dining room when he heard a slight noise. Later, looking back on the situation, he wasn't even actually certain that there had been any noise in the first place, it had just been his sixth sense. Halt ducked back inside the dining hall just as a Genovesan walked by. He had his crossbow at the ready. Halt held his breath and didn't dare move and the assassin poked his head into the very dining hall Halt was standing in. He looked straight into the room, just 3 feet from Halt. But since he didn't look left or right, he never even saw Halt. The Genovesan glanced into the room, then leaned back out and kept walking slowly down the hall. Halt waited until the assassin turned the corner, then he ducked back into the kitchen and walked into a dark food pantry, cracking the door behind him just in time. He turned around and saw that he was in a dry food pantry. He sat down on a barrel and resolved himself to waiting a few minutes for the Genovesan to get farther away. It was alright, though, because he needed to decide where he was going to look for Will first. But I can't waste time. If the Genovesan nearly found me that quickly, they must be scanning the castle quickly and quietly in order to find Will. It'll be lucky if Will hasn't been found by now... If I were Will, where would I hide? Halt shut his eyes, running through all the possibilities in his mind. Well, he's not in the kitchen, and he's not in the dining rooms. He was running from the Genovesans, he would lead them as far away from the audience hall as possible... So up by the north tower. But... Halt thought back to what Pauline had said about how she and Will had hidden safely in the wine cellar deep beneath the castle, and how it had been accessed by the secret tunnel in the linen closet. That could be where he's hiding. It was far enough away that Genovesans wouldn't hear Will even if he talked out loud, and the thick doors and heavy chains give the impression that no one could possibly be in there.

Halt got up and checked the hallway again. It was dead quiet. He gathered himself again and ghosted out of the the pantry, down the hallway, and down a couple flights of stairs without seeing or hearing a single thing. He made it to the landing, ducked behind a tapestry, and saw the linen closet door on the other side. He started going across the landing, but had to frantically scramble back behind the tapestry as yet another Genovesan walked down the nearest staircase. Halt squinted at his face and was able to recognize it. Mario. He walked slowly past, then suddenly wrenched open the door to the linen closet and yelled, "HAH!"

Nothing happened.

Mario shut the door and walked off down another flight of stairs, grumbling, "Got to find him... Bloody Ranger... I'll catch him..."

Halt couldn't help but raise his eyebrows at the assassin. Well, he is certainly a passionate one.

He checked the stairways again, and then advanced across the landing, more slowly this time, and entered the linen closet, silently closing the door behind him. He waited a moment to see if Mario would come back, but after a few minutes of waiting with no sounds, he walked to the back of the closet and felt around for the knob Pauline had described. Sure enough, he felt the knob and he pushed the door open. It revealed the stone passageway that Pauline had told him about. Halt stepped down into the passageway, and immediately had to brush aside a large spider web. Just in case there are assassins waiting for me at the end of this, I had better prepare myself. Halt pulled out his saxUe and held it out in front of him. He moved farther along the passageway, walking at a steady downward pace for about three minutes. Finally he reached the end of the tunnel and came upon the small wooden door. He found the handle and pulled it open to reveal the back shelves of the wine cellar. He cautiously stepped into the cellar, his knife held in front of him. He walked quietly between two shelves, placing his booted feet carefully and silently on the wood-paneled floor. He turned a corner, and saw no one.

"You move, you die."

The voice echoed from the rafters above him, and Halt couldn't hide the small smile as he recognized Will's voice.

"And who would you be planning to shoot? Me or the enemy?" Halt replied conversationally.

There was silence again. And then a sudden sigh of relief. "Halt, it's you. I thought - "

"You thought I was a Genovesan? Tell me, are you color blind? Because I'm definitely not wearing purple." Halt turned around towards the sound of Will's voice, which was now discernible since he wasn't echoing it around the room. He could just barely make out a shadowy figure moving around up in the rafters in the corner across from the door. The figure dropped down from the rafters and walked, rather, limped over. As he came into the light, Halt looked Will up and down. He stood hunched over a little, and had an arm wrapped around his ribs. He had dirt smeared on his face, hands, ears, and hair, and he had a few minor bruises and cuts on his face, and his hands were wrapped up in a fresh bandage that already had fresh blood on it. He looked exhausted and a little scared, and just all around a little beat up. "Well, did you have fun playing in the mud? Fall on your side there? Slice your hands?" He gestured to Will's side and hands.

Will just scowled at him. "I've been crawling through dirty tunnels and closets for the last few hours. What about you? Sat in your tent all day, eating biscuits?"

"That's actually about right. It was cookies, not biscuits." They both knew that neither of them had been kicking back that afternoon, and Halt decided that was enough sarcasm for the moment. He put his hand on Will's shoulder, and said more gently, "Care to explain what happened here?" He again pointed to Will's side and hands.

"Got kicked."

"By whom?"

"Some Genovesan."

"And the hands?"

"Hung on the bottom of a table."

"Pauline told me about that - " he pointed to Will's hands, "but she didn't tell me about that," and he pointed to his side.

"That's because this happened more recently." Will winced as he tried to stretch his side.

"I think you have a lot of explaining to do."

"Did Pauline and Rodney and everyone get back to the camp safely? What about Alyss? What happened to you both when the Genovesans came riding up the main road? Isn't that where you were walking?"

Halt put his hands up. "Can you ever ask just one question at a time? Everyone is safe. Pauline, Rodney, and Alyss are all fine."

Will breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back into his chair, whispering, "Good. That's very good." Then he sat back up again. "So did Pauline catch you up on everything?"

"Yes, but she only knows as far as after you ran off out of the hall with those assassins hot on your tail. We don't have enough to time to talk about it all, but you had better give me a quick summary, and then I'll patch you up."

Will lead him over to the front of the wine cellar and gave Halt a brief summary of the events that had transpired since he ran out of the main audience hall. After hearing it, Halt sat back and thought for a minute, absorbing it all.

"You lead away five deadly assassins, completely alone, into the depths of the castle while Pauline and Rodney herded everyone out."

"Yes, that sounds about right," muttered Will. He had stood up painfully and was unclipping his cloak so that Halt could check his side.

"Why the hell would you do something like that? You're practically committing suicide!" Halt was up on his feet, his fists clenched, eyes burning with fury. Will shrank back a little in surprise. "Did you think about the consequences of your plan before you went off and died? What about the minuscule threat of, oh, I don't know, the Genovesans catching you? Or did you not think at all, and simply decided to go walk off the cliff to your doom?"

A moment of tense silence followed.

"Are you quite finished?" Will had stopped unbuttoning his leather jerkin, but was now gazing Halt with not a sorry or hurt expression, rather a tired one. "Or do you have anything else to get off your chest?"

Halt's tone became suddenly soft. "I would keep going on and on about how incredibly stupid your plan was... Did I mention how incredibly stupid your plan was?" Will rolled his eyes at him, and Halt continued, "But I can't. Because you succeeded. I don't know how you bloody did it, but you did. But let me make this very clear: never do something like that ever again. Do you understand?"

Will was almost finished undoing his jerkin buttons. "Halt, I understand that you are very upset about this. And I understand that you were worried about me - No, don't try to deny it, I know you were," Will cut a Halt off as he opened his mouth to argue. "But we don't have time for this right now. I invite you to yell at me later once we get out of this dusty pile of stones."

Halt harrumphed peevishly. "Be sure I'll take advantage of that invitation later. And I don't even want to be in the room when Alyss hears about this... But, I suppose you're right. Now let me see what that Genovesan did to you."

Alyss. God, I hope she's alright. Will had his jerkin off and was slipping his shirt over his head. But even Halt had to wince as he saw Will's side. There was a great purple-blue blotch that extended from just below his armpit almost all the way to the bottom of his rib cage. At the center of the bruise there was a small patch of skin that had broken and was bleeding a little. Will twisted his neck to try to get a better look. "Well? How bad is it?"

Halt blanched a little. "It's... Not terrible. You said you had cracked ribs?"

"Yes. Here... And here. Ouch, don't press that hard." Will guided Halt's finger to each injured rib and winced and Halt pressed his finger in to feel it.

"Unfortunately, I can feel a small break here. Not out of place, though, you're lucky. And the ribs around it are only cracked a little."

"I think I'm lucky to still be alive," Will muttered.

"Well, you're damn right about that. Five Genovesans..." Halt muttered as he pulled out his first aid kit from his belt pouch and started wiping away what little blood there was. Will rolled his eyes at Halt's grumbling and painfully forced himself to hold his arm up as Halt applied a field dressing, and then wrapped his ribs up tightly in a white bandage.

Then Halt stepped back while Will rotated his shoulder to try to ease out stiffness. "You look terrible, you know." Halt couldn't help it, it was just so true.

Will scowled at him again as he winced. "Thanks very much, but you don't look so good yourself." Will slipped his shirt back over his head.

"I don't look that bad. I'm not filthy, bandaged, and exhausted."

"You do realize you're dirty too, right?" Halt looked down and sure enough, he had dirt on his hands.

"Yes, but not as dirty as you. Your hair is practically grey with dust. Must be from running from five Genovesans..."

Will glowered at him and shook his hair out, and decided Halt wasn't going to let up the jibes about the quality of his planning and his self preservation instincts. He resolved to ignore it for now, and get him back for it later. "You should try hiding in dusty old shafts for a few hours and see how you look after you're done."

Halt smiled wolfishly. "I hope I never have to do that." But then his face became serious. "But really, are you alright? Any other injuries? Should I just get you out of here, or can you stay and help me finish this?"

Will almost laughed as he put his shirt back on. "I'm fine, and there is no way I'm giving up on this now, not when we are so close... Another thing." Will smirked at Halt. "It's nice to actually communicate in person... I was getting sick of sending you messages. Those soldiers had no idea what they were doing, and half the time I forced myself to think you never even received them."

Halt laughed out loud. "That first one you sent us... He was a piece of work. He spat, stuttered, and fainted his way through his briefing."

"Yes, that's how he was when I sent him off, unfortunately in a situation like that you get no choice on the intelligence of your messenger. I think the second one had more brains, he was actually quite resourceful. He was careful never to reveal my name to the Genovesan when he was being interrogated." Will clipped his cloak on and rearranged his quiver and bow over his shoulders.

"Smart man, although from what I heard outside from Mario, he knows your name now." Halt pointed outside the door, referring to his near encounter with the assassin.

Will smiled darkly. "Yes, he does, he asked me after he kicked me. I would sure like to give him a few kicks in the ribs..." Will trailed off, no doubt picturing what he would do to Mario if he ever caught him.

Halt decided to pull him out of his grim revere. "Well then, let's get to it." He pulled a castle map out of his inner jacket pocket, and then felt the bread loaf. "Oh, another thing, I thought you might want this. To help you get your energy back after being chased by five Genovesians." He pulled out the loaf. It was still warm from being tucked up against his chest and the fragrant smell of fresh bread filled the air. He also procured the apples and put them on the table.

Will's eyes narrowed in annoyance at yet another jibe, then widened at the sight of food. "I haven't eaten in hours..." He grabbed the bread from Halt, put the apples in his pockets, and leaned over the map, taking a bite of the bread. "So, there are only five Genovesans left..." He glanced at Halt, gauging his reaction. He was surprised when there wasn't one, so he continued on. "How do you think we should do this?"

Halt looked sidelong at Will. "Well, we have a few options. We can get the rubies and then get out. We can just escape and flush the Genovesans out, or we can get rid of the Genovesans. So basically, get the rubies, the Genovesans, or neither, and lay seige."

Will looked at the map for a long moment, so long that Halt looked up at him, wondering why his normally talkative former apprentice was so quiet.

"Actually..." Will started thoughtfully.

"What? You were thinking of something different?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, I was. I saw something in the scribe's offices today that might come in very handy - also, how would you feel if I only lead away a few Genovesans..."


	13. Chapter 13

"Help us!"

"We are locked in here!"

"Mario! Guido! Someone! It's us!"

Mario turned the corner and saw the door at the end of the hall shaking on its hinges as the two assassins banged furiously. He ran to the door and twisted the lock. Giovanni and Giuseppie were writhing and wriggling like worms on the floor. They each had large egg-shaped lumps on the backs of their heads and had thumb cuffs and ropes wrapped around their wrists and ankles.

Mario whispered harshly, "You fools! I leave you with an injured prisoner for fifteen minutes, and I come back and you are bound, locked up, and the prisoner is nowhere to be found! You are worthless excuses for assassins!" He whipped out a dagger and brandished it at them angrily. Then he sliced their ropes off. They both flinched and cowered as they were freed.

"I want you to go out there and find him!" They both nodded and bowed and ran out of the closet and down the stairs. Mario turned to another of his comrades. "Those two are worthless. Go after them and kill them." The assassin bowed, a grin of pleasure taking over his face, and then he bounded down the hall after the other two. Mario smiled at the thought of his two countrymens' fates, and laughed as he turned back down the hallway.

Will stood in front of the castle treasury door, his hand holding the door open a little, his foot stuck out in front of him as if he had frozen while opening the door, and his back turned. Halt was a little farther up the hallway around the corner. Will heard his signal: a little scuffing sound on the wall. That was Halt warning him that a Genovesan was approaching. Will heard the footsteps, the muted sound of heavy boot tips on the stone floor, and he readied himself. Just as the footsteps were about to turn the corner, Will wrenched the door open, letting it creak and groan noisily. "Hey! Stop!" That was the Genovesan, then he leaned around the corner and shouted a long stream of Toscan, alerting the other five. Will got the door halfway open before the Genovesan yelled, and then he turned and ran as fast as he could for the end of the hall. Will could hear the thumping of boots suddenly become louder as more Genovesans joined the chase.

"Ranger Will!" He heard Mario snarl behind him. Will dared to turn around briefly in his head long dash and saw that three Genovesans were right behind him.

I really hope Halt is ready, because if he isn't, I'm doomed. And I hope he managed to avoid the other two Genovesans. Will turned several corners and finally made it back to the entire main doors of the audience hall. He headed straight out the door and into the courtyard where, sure enough, Tug was waiting, all saddled up and ready to go. Halt had left silently after giving Will the signal and went straight to the stables and gotten Tug and Abelard. Then he had brought Tug to the courtyard and rode away on Abelard to go and deal with the portcullis.

Will sprinted towards Tug and leaped onto his back, shouting, "Go, go, go!" Tug exploded into a full gallop and they raced down the road. Will whipped his head around and saw the Genovesans had followed him and were running after him. Good, they won't catch me on Tug.

He urged Tug on. "Faster Tug!" He whinnied and ran faster. Will turned back around and gasped. The portcullis was closing already! He wasn't close enough yet! What had happened? Will urged Tug on, despair already closing in. If he didn't make it, he and Tug would slam into the gate and injure themselves, then the Genovesans would finish him off. Will braced for impact.

Halt had just scratched his fingernails lightly on the wall, warning Will that an assassin was close. He had reluctantly agreed to another one of Will's hair-brained schemes, because it was so simple it was genius. It was also a little desperate, but in times like these, Halt was willing to accept desperate. Then there was the issue that Halt himself, although he hadn't told Will, didn't have any better plans than what Will had suggested. So he was stuck with the crazy but simple plan. If Alyss knew what had happened, or what is happening right now, she would kill me. Although, if this plan doesn't work, which is very likely, she'll have to get in line behind five Genovesans. And possibly Will. Then Halt turned and silently slipped back down the hall and turned a few corners before suddenly stopping. In the middle of the hallway lay the bodies of the two Genovesans that Will had knocked out. They each had stab marks in their chests, and one of them still had the dagger stuck in his sternum. Halt leaned over him and wrestled the dagger out of the bone. It was a Genovesan dagger. Make that three Genovesans who want to kill me. Mario sure wasn't pleased that these two let Will get away. He touched their necks to feel for a pulse. There was none, but they were still warm. I had better get out of here, they could still be close. He wiped his bloody hands on their clothes, dropped the knife next to the body and stepped over them. From seven, to five, to three. The numbers are slowly becoming more in our favor.

He went down the hall and out the servants door to the stables. Tug and Abelard both turned their heads as he came in and whinnied softly. "Hello, Abelard." Halt greeted his horse as he quickly unlatched their stable doors, and each horse walked out and over the Halt. Halt grabbed both of their reins and lead them out into the courtyard. He grabbed Tug's bridle, and whispered, "Will is going to come running out here in a few minutes and needs you to run as fast as you can. So be ready."

Tug shook his mane. I don't need to be warned by you, old man. I can run fast anytime.

Halt glared at Tug. "You're not so young yourself." He mounted Abelard and set off for the portcullis crank down at the end of the street. He came up to the huge wooden machine, dismounted Abelard, and ran over to the huge rope twists that held the bridge up. He drew his saxe and started hacking. About two thirds of the way through, he stopped cutting. Now the rope would fray on its own, leaving just enough to time for Will to get under the gate before it shut, and at the same time keep the Genovesans in the castle. Then Halt remounted and galloped through the now slowly closing gate and off down the drawbridge. He looked off into the distance and could see the camp. He slowed Abelard down to a fast canter, and made his way across the short distance to the camp. He rode up, and Pauline, Alyss, Gilan, Rodney, and the Baron were all waiting.

"Halt, where's Will? Is he coming out?" Gilan said as he peered off towards the slowly closing portcullis.

"He had better be coming out this time," muttered Alyss.

"Thanks for the welcome, I can see you all were waiting for me with bated breath..." Halt scowled at them, then relented. "He should be coming out any second, unless he got delayed..." He turned Abelard back around to face the drawbridge, and his brow furrowed as he saw the portcullis. "It's closing too quickly."

"What?" Alyss stepped up next to Halt. "Halt, what's going on? Where is he?"

"He - he'll make it. There, look he's there!" Halt pointed as the galloping for of a Tug came into view with a green blur on his back. He was a little ways away from the portcullis, which was closing quickly now. Halt saw Will glance back at something, and then urge Tug on faster. Tug turned into a grey streak as he thundered down the stone road. "Come on, Tug. Faster," Halt muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowed into slits as he squinted at Will's rapidly advancing figure. He glanced sideways quickly and saw that Alyss was staring intently at the bridge, wringing her hands.

He looked back. Will was only meters from the gate.

"Faster, Tug."

The gate lowered further.

"Faster."

Will was almost there.

"Faster."

Suddenly, Tug stopped galloping, and flattened his hooves against the stones, so that he slid. Halt felt his breath hitch as they skidded across the path. Then Tug bent his knees, and Will flattened himself against his body...

... And they cleared the gate.

Halt gave a long sigh of relief as Tug's low form came sliding out from under the portcullis, the spikes just a hair's breadth away from Will's back. They slid a little further down out from under the gate and the main arch, then Tug picked up his hooves and stumbled back into a gallop. Will raised himself back up in the saddle a little and gently slowed Tug down, then turned to watch the portcullis slam into the ground with a familiar BANG. The small forms of three Genovesans were visible as they ran up to the closed portcullis and yelled something at Will. But Will just turned around without replying and he and Tug started to get closer.

Halt turned around and put his face in his hands, breathing deeply. Gilan nudged him, saying, "I could swear my heart just skipped a beat. Was that your idea? I'm suspecting not..."

Halt looked up at Gilan, and said very slowly, "No, that was not my idea. And I think I just had a heart attack, so don't talk to me." He turned abruptly and walked stiffly over to Pauline. Gilan watched him go, then turned as Will approached the small group.


	14. Chapter 14

Will clung to Tug as he yelled, "Slide, Tug!" Tug locked his front knees, leaned back as far as possible without his tail hitting the ground, and slid down the stones and under the gate. He flattened himself to Tug's body as they cleared the portcullis by inches, gasping as he felt one of the spikes brush his back, and then slowed Tug down, murmuring, "Good boy, slow it down, it's all right."

Once Tug had slowed to a stop a few meters from the gate, he turned and looked back at the three Genovesans.

"You failed, Ranger! You never got to the rubies!" That was Mario, snarling through the bars of the portcullis. Guido shouted a string of profanities in Toscan and shook at the bars, his saliva splattering the ground. When Will didn't respond, Mario joined Guido in his impressive swearing. The other assassin, who Will didn't know, just glared ominously from behind the other two.

Will just turned his back and set Tug off in a slow canter toward the camp, ignoring all the jeers, shouts, and glares. "You did well, Tug. Really well. I'll give you a whole bucket of oats when we get back."

Of course. I deserve it. Tug rolled his eyes back at Will, who grunted tiredly in return. "You do."

As Will drew closer to the camp, he could make out the small party of people waiting for him a little ways out in front. Abelard and Halt were standing next to each other, with Pauline, Rodney, Gilan, the Baron... And Alyss. God... What am I going to say to her? Is she going to scream at me? If I'm lucky, maybe Halt hasn't even told her what happened... Yet.

He rode up to the small group and stiffly dismounted Tug, holding his ribs. Alyss ran up to him and threw herself into his arms. "Ouch. Ahhh... Ow. Don't squeeze too hard..." He gasped as Alyss squeezed his cracked ribs.

She immediately released him and said, "What happened to you? You're filthy!" She pulled a handkerchief out of her dress and tried to wipe his face off a little.

Will laughed softly and took the the cloth from her, wet it with a little water from his water skin, and wiped some of the dirt off his face. "Just got a little dusty, is all."

As he wiped his face, Alyss grabbed took his hands, palms up, and examined the rough bandages, asking softly, "And what about these, Will?"

He turned his hands over and grasped hers firmly. "I'm alright, Alyss... I'm alright." He gave her a we'll talk later look. She gazed up into his eyes, worry lines still wrinkling her face, and squeezed his hands gently before releasing them and I retreated to one side of the small welcoming party.

Will turned as Pauline came up to him. "Will, dear, you made it." He gave her a long hug, and she touched his side. "What happened here?"

He couldn't avoid such a direct question and muttered, "I... Got kicked." Will quickly glanced at Alyss, who was now glaring at him. He raised his eyebrows at her, but she just kept glowering. He tried to turn his attention back to Pauline. "What about you? You alright? Nothing broken?"

"Nothing broken," she reassured him, and, seeing the look Alyss was giving him, stepped back next to Halt again.

The Baron stepped up to Will, grabbed his hand, and shook it heartily. "It's good to see you safe, Will. You had us all very worried there."

"Thanks, my lord."

He turned to Gilan, who hugged him. "I thought you were a goner."

Will grinned at him. "I thought I was too." They both smiled.

Gilan continued. "Did you get the rubies?"

Will glanced quickly at Halt, who pursed his lips, then said haltingly, "Well, yes... In a manner of speaking."

"In a manner of speaking?" Gilan narrowed his eyes, but Will waved him off uncomfortably.

"I'll fill you in later."

Gilan suspiciously glanced at Halt, who was rolling his eyes.

Rodney also shook hands with him. "It was a pleasure to work with you. I've heard the stories about your missions, but now I have first hand experience."

Will smiled an embarrassed smile, his face pink. "I'm not sure if all those stories are completely accurate..."

"Oh, they are. They say you're as tall as a bear. What could be more true?" They both laughed.

Then Will turned to Halt and was instantly serious. "What happened to the portcullis? You said you were only going to fray it a little. And by a little, that meant enough time for me to get out."

Halt shrugged apologetically. "I did, exactly the right amount. I think it frayed faster than we anticipated. Did you manage to shoot any of them?"

"No, I was too busy trying to get away from them, and then under the gate. The three of them had caught up by the time I got on Tug and I had to keep moving. Thank goodness they tossed aside their crossbows earlier."

"Yes, and they also killed off some of their own. I found two of them dead in the hallway."

"So that's why only three of them were chasing me. The rest are dead. I'm assuming they were the ones who let me escape? "

"Yes, those two idiots. And did you tell Tug to slide, or did he figure it out for himself?"

"I told him to. Why does that even matter?"

"Ok, boys, let's slow down a little. None of the rest of us have any idea what is going on. Let's all go get cleaned up and figure out what's going on, alright? And Will, you should go get your side checked out." Pauline stopped the rapid fire questions between the two Rangers and sent them all off to rest. Halt grumbled something about dirt and went off toward the well to wash, taking Abelard and Pauline with him, and Gilan, Rodney, and the Baron went to the command tent.

That just left Alyss and Will. Alyss was still scowling as he walked up to her and took her hand. "I know I said we'd talk, but I need to get debriefed soon. Want to come to the med tent with me?"

She clenched and unclenched her jaw a few times before saying, "I suppose."

She let him guide her along as they started walking into the camp. Tug started to follow, but Will sent him off to follow Abelard and Halt. Then Will took her over to a grove of trees and they stopped in the shade. Will asked, "Alyss, what's wrong? Are you alright? Halt wouldn't tell me what happened to you two when the Genovesans came riding up with the other soldiers...weren't you on that road?"

Alyss squeezed his hand, and the scowl melted off her face. "Will, don't worry about me, I'm completely fine. And nothing's really wrong, I just..."

Will squeezed back. "What? It's obviously bothering you. You can tell me."

She looked up into his eyes, fingering the bandages on his hands. "I... Each time something happened, I expected to see you ride out on Tug. Every time I would get my hopes up, and then you wouldn't be there. And to make it worse, what everyone would come out saying... I mean, first all these soldiers came running out, talking in awe about the 'amazing things that Ranger Will did' and how 'he saved us all''. Then out came Pauline and the rest of them, and I actually ran out there looking around for you desperately... And you weren't there. To add to it all, no one would tell me anything. Then Pauline told me about what was really happening inside the castle..." Alyss's huge eyes were glistening with tears. She suddenly let go of his hands and turned away from him, hugging herself, saying softly, "She - she told me what you had done. That you had lied about your escape plan, and that you knew you weren't going to make it out... I think that's when I got a little angry, because I thought you had forgotten me. And I just kept thinking, 'Well, what about everyone out here? We all wanted you to get out, why would you not even try? What about all those soldiers? They want their hero to make it. What about Pauline? Or Halt? Or... Me?'"

Will waited until she stopped speaking. Then he gently touched her shoulder, turned her around to face him, pulled her in close and hugged her for a long time. He whispered in her ear, "I did try to get out. You have no idea how tired I am from sprinting up and down stairs, desperately trying to find an escape route or at least a hiding place." He stroked her hair. "I thought about you, you know. I didn't forget you. I just needed to get those other people out first. It was my first priority, one that had to come before my life. It's part of my job." He squeezed her gently into an even tighter hug. "You don't need to worry, I'm perfectly alright."

Alyss buried her face in his cowl, breathing in his comforting scent of dirt, sweat, and pine needles. Then she leaned in and kissed him tenderly for a few fleeting moments. She whispered, "I know, I was just really scared for a while. But I'm better now that you're here." She kissed him more deeply, and Will leaned into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. Then she leaned back a little and smiled. "That was our first real kiss since you got back."

"Is that so?" Will said softly. They kissed again.

"Yes. Remember?" Alyss ran her hands through Will's hair. "We didn't get to properly greet one another because of all the people. Then you had to go and get trapped in the castle with some assassins, and get kicked in the side... Speaking of which, you are not 'perfectly alright'. That's why we're stopping by the med tent, so they can give you a full check up."

Will pulled back and smiled as he recognized that Alyss was feeling better. "It's alright, I don't need all that. I was just thinking that they would check my ribs, maybe re bandage - "

"No. You're getting the full checkup." Alyss didn't even glance at Will, but the sudden steel in her voice warned Will that he might want to get the checkup.

"Alright, I'll - I'll get it..." he grumbled, and Alyss straightened her shoulders and smiled in satisfaction. "... On one condition." Alyss's shoulders slumped ever so slightly and she frowned at Will. "That after this we go and get a huge snack. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse." Alyss smiled again, sensing that Will was still further trying to cheer her up again. "When was the last time you ate a real meal?"

"Hmmm..." Will had to think about it. "Six this morning? Maybe earlier..."

"You mean to say you haven't eaten since breakfast?"

"Nope. Remember, I was going to eat lunch with you before all this happened."

"Very true. Well, it's about four o'clock. You're sure we shouldn't go and get that snack right now?" She smirked. "But hopefully you didn't mean your horse. I'm sure Tug wouldn't enjoy being eaten."

Will laughed. "He wouldn't taste very good, either. I can wait." Will took Alyss's hand and together they walked into the camp.


	15. Chapter 15

Halt was busy arranging chairs inside the command tent for the big meeting when almost everyone came in at once: Pauline, Rodney, Baron Arald, and Gilan.

"Will and Alyss are coming soon. I saw them exiting the med tent and heading for the food. They should be here any minute," Gilan said to Halt. He nodded, and guided his wife and her companions to their chairs in a half circle around the large table laden with maps, charts, and documents about the layout of Castle Redmont. As soon as everyone had settled into their chairs, there was a moment of content silence as the exhausted former hostages or, Pauline's case, rescuers, closed their eyes and rested for a few moments. Halt, who was still tired from his night chasing the Genovesan previously, sat down in a nearby chair and out his face in his hands, rubbing his eyes and sighing. Gilan paced around the back of the tent, muttering to himself under his breath. They remained like this for several minutes.

"Come on, Will, they're all waiting for us. Keeping wiping." Alyss's steely voice broke the silence outside the tent. Her hand poked through the flaps and held one aside, making room for the stooped figure of Will. He limped into the tent, one arm holding his ribs, the other clutching a wet cloth, which he was using to wipe off the remainder of the dirt from his face and hands. He had managed to clean his hands all the way off, but his face still had large smudges around his jaw and hairline. He limped into the tent, his face pinched a little in pain. Alyss murmured softly, "Do you need anything else?"

Will smiled wanely, and murmured to her, "No, I think you've done all you can. Didn't help that the doctor had to set my rib, so unfortunately there's more pain now than before."

Alyss looked at him for a moment longer, then gestured to the chair up in the front of the tent next to Halt. "Looks like Halt already thought of everything, as usual." She gave him a gentle nudge in that direction. He winced slightly, but smiled again and headed up to the chair. Then he slowly, painfully, lowered himself into the chair just in front of the table, next to where Halt was now standing. Alyss dropped a loaf of bread with ham in the middle and a skin of water into Will's lap, whispering, "You really should eat when you have chance." It was phrased as a suggestion, but Will recognized the underlying hardness. He raised an eyebrow at her, and bit into the bread and ham and took a sip of water. Alyss reached into a pocket of her gown and pulled out two white tablets about the size of a berry and put the, on the table next to Will. "Here's the painkillers from the doctor."

"Oh... I forgot about those. Thanks." His voice was flat and utterly unenthusiastic, almost sarcastic. But Alyss watched serenely as he popped the pills into his mouth and his face puckered up as he gulped the pills down. "Ugh. Those taste like vomit."

Alyss arched her eyebrows at him. "Don't be coarse. That's what they always taste like."

Will glanced surreptitiously around the tent. Pauline and Gilan had been watching the entire exchange with poorly hidden grins on their faces, and Arald and Rodney were whispering softly to one another. Halt had an eyebrow raised and was looking back and forth between Will and Alyss. Will shifted in his chair so that he was facing more toward Halt, and Alyss pulled up a chair between Will and Pauline, who smiled warmly at her and shifted hers over to make room. She murmured something in Alyss's ear, which made her smile. Once everyone had finally settled, Halt asked, "Rodney, anything you want to say before we start?"

Rodney nodded. "I just wanted to let you all know that we have gone from a hostage crisis situation to an official seige operation. That means that we will try to wait these assassins out and catch them when they try to make a move."

He nodded at Halt, who turned to Will. "Thanks, Rodney. Now, I think we should just cut to the chase. Will, whenever you're ready." He went over and sat down in a chair next to Will's.

Will stood slowly, trying not to wince, and he walked over the table full of maps. "I suppose I'll just start from the very beginning. Pauline, Rodney, feel free to add anything." Will continued on as he quickly summarized what had gone on inside the castle from then the portcullises first closed all the way until he slid out from under the gate. No one interrupted him, not even Pauline, who had nothing to add. He left out only a small part of his and Halt's escape plan. Once he had finished, he leaned against the table and held his ribs, taking a drink of water. There was a long silence as everyone in the tent absorbed everything Will had just said.

Gilan broke the silence. "That's quite a tale," he said softly.

"Agreed," muttered the Baron, who was staring at the floor, chewing on his lip.

"Can it first be stated that none of that was my idea? Absolutely, positively, none of it," Halt said, pointedly staring at Will, who rolled his eyes.

Gilan's brow was wrinkled in thought. "It was a pretty... Unorthodox plan. Definitely not the sort of plan which one would use in any normal situation, but..."

"But?" Will asked. Halt had smiled victoriously as heard Gilan's first few words, but the grin had faded, and Will took advantage.

"Well... I mean... It worked, didn't it?" Gilan started out hopefully. "I mean... you did it. You got everyone out, including, eventually, yourself. And I know that all of you in this room care about Will. But think about it logically for a second. Will took an oath when he joined the Corps: to defend and protect this kingdom with his life. Here he upheld that very oath. I know that you all are at least a little upset that Will would risk his life in such a way, myself included, no doubt - but we can't forget that he did the right thing." He turned and smiled at Will. "You could say that he is either stupid or incredibly brave. And I think we all know he's not stupid."

Rodney and the Baron both nodded thoughtfully, agreeing with what Gilan had said. Pauline smiled as Gilan expressed what she had understood from the beginning, and Halt and Alyss had the grace to look a little chastised as they realized that what Gilan had said was right.

"I suppose... that's all very true. It makes sense. But that doesn't mean that I feel any better about the fact that you almost died several times today." Alyss reached over and took Will's hand. "I don't think I have to say this, but I will anyway: never do that again. Please, for my sanity."

Will smiled and squeezed her hand, then glanced at Halt, recognizing that he had said that very thing just a few minutes earlier in the wine cellar. "Don't you worry, I don't think I'll be doing something like that for a while now. I've had my fill of sprinting upstairs for a long, long time."

"One thing I still don't quite believe... So there were seven Genovesans in the castle at first, right? You sent us that message," Gilan said.

Will nodded. "Yes, there were seven."

"But then when you were running away the first time, only... Five followed you?"

"Yes, two of them stayed behind to guard the prisoners."

"So - " Gilan leaned forward, his face unbelieving. "So you... Shot one of them, and then he bled out. And the other..."

Rodney piped up. "I killed him. Broadsword versus knife. Wins every time."

Gilan raised his eyebrows. "Well done. Those are formidable, dangerous people. So - just to be clear - now there are five left."

"Yes," Will agreed.

"Then, when you, Halt, were running down the hallway towards the stables, you found two of them lying dead on the ground with their own knives sticking out of their chests?"

"That's right. They had been stabbed multiple times." Halt pursed his lips as he thought back to that moment.

"So... Now there's three left. And currently, from the last time we saw them, there are still three left?"

Will and Halt both nodded in unison.

Gilan broke into a huge grin. "I'm just admiring you and Will's newest skill. You managed to cut the number of dangerous assassins more than in half in under two hours. Why didn't you use this amazingly useful skill when you were chasing the Genovesans after Clonmel?"

"Well, it was mostly Will's skill that cut them down. He was the one who shot one, and then caused the other two to be killed by their own leader. I just sort of tagged along." Halt was now joining in on the fun.

Will sat up straight with a lot of dignity and said, "It's just a talent I have honed after years of dealing with them. This 'honing' requires a lot of near fatal encounters, but if you avoid or survive enough of them, you develop the skill."

"Skill? Hah. How about luck?" Halt said scoffingly, and the whole tent laughed. "You missed a bit of dirt... Right there." Halt leaned over and poked Will's red face wolfishly. "Speaking of dirt, I don't think I've ever seen you as dirty as your were when I first came upon you in the wine cellar. When I first saw you I mistook you for a rather large dust bunny."

"I think anyone who went through that secret tunnel got all dirty. I was forced to go through it multiple times. How did you ever find that thing anyway, Pauline?" Will asked. Alyss grinned and handed Will his wet cloth, which he took and started to wipe off his face again.

Pauline smiled. "What, you think I spend all my time just sitting behind a desk doing paperwork? No, in my younger years, I explored. I found that passageway when I had just started working here."

Halt nudged her playfully as Rodney chuckled and said, "And how long ago was that, exactly?"

"Too long ago, I'm afraid. I may have lost count by now." Pauline joined in his laughter.

Alyss smiled and leaned against Will's arm, holding his hand. Even Halt was grinning as relief swept over the whole group as they realized they had nearly succeeded with their task. Only Gilan sat down off to one side. He let them laugh for a little longer, then asked abruptly, "Will, you never told us about how you plan to get the rubies out. What were you thinking? Or did you already get them?"

Will grinned widely, put down his cloth, and turned to Halt and gestured for him to explain. Halt said, "See, this is the crazy part. His while escape plan revolved around this one simple, timeless idea that - "

Halt stopped suddenly. "Did you hear that?" He murmured softly to Will.

Will, who had risen to his feet in the middle of Halt's comment, nodded. "It's... Rumbling?"

They all stood and were very quiet. Then it happened. A constant and steady slight shaking of the ground next to the drawbridge that only happened when...

They all knew at once what was happening. Gilan said it. "I think the portcullis is opening again."


	16. Chapter 16

Alyss rushed out alongside Will, Halt, Pauline, Rodney, and the Baron. She ran through the camp following Will closely, yelling for soldiers to get up and get moving.

"Get up!" She shouted.

"Move!" That was Halt.

"Get going!" Rodney bellowed.

The soldiers all stumbled out of their tents from their afternoon naps or leisurely games of cards with friends and frantically began strapping on armor and retrieving weapons. The sight of all three Rangers, the Baron, the Battlemaster, and two ladies all running for the head of the camp and the slight shaking that came from the steadily rising portcullis set them into a crazed panic. They all were suddenly shouting and racing around desperately trying to figure out what was going on and where was what. This resulted in sudden pandemonium and a deafening roar of sound from the camp. Alyss clapped her hands over her ears as she ran, and Will grabbed her hand, pulling her along as soldiers closed in. He pulled her out of the crowd and then dragged her to a stop as the small group suddenly came to a halt. They all stood there panting and watching as the huge portcullis at the end of the drawbridge, which had been previously locked shut, now slowly rose, inch by inch, making a huge groaning noise and causing the surrounding ground to shake. "I'm so sick of running..." She heard Will mutter. She was about to reply, but then the creaking and squealing intensified. Alyss clamped her hands over her ears again as the grating sound scraped painfully at her eardrums. But as the gate came farther up, the groaning ceased, and she removed her hands from her ears.

Halt turned around and began issuing orders. "I'm going in there to see what's going on if they don't show themselves soon. Will, follow me but stop halfway and cover me. Gilan, follow a little ways out and stop, and provide backup and full coverage of the area. Sir, Rodney, please go and assist the men in assembling into formation." Then he pulled his bow off his shoulder and checked the string, flexing it a little. Then he handed the bow to Gilan, who had unslung his own bow and quiver as well. He then put on Halt's quiver and slung his bow over his shoulders. Then he out his own quiver on right next to Halt's, and held his own bow in his hand. Will checked his cloak to make sure it was open enough for his quiver, and pulled two arrows out of his quiver, holding them in his right hand. Then all three Rangers advanced silently towards the almost open portcullis.

Once they had gone 20 meters out from the camp, Gilan stopped. He held his bow at the ready with an arrow already notched in it, scanning the whole area for potential threats. Will and Halt kept advancing, Halt holding both knives at the ready, while Will held his bow at half draw, walking softly behind him, his limp nonexistent. Must be the adrenaline, Alyss thought as she watched him walking. They had almost reached the end of the drawbridge when Will stopped walking. He pulled his bow up to almost full draw, and immediately began scanning. Halt pressed on, creeping silently down the rest of the drawbridge, and ghosted under the portcullis into the outer courtyard.

His eyes narrowed into slits as he slipped through the pillars. He carefully placed each foot so as to be as silent as possible and he ducked into every shadow. His narrowed eyes caught a flash of purple, and he froze in the shadow of the portcullis, barely a few meters from where he had started. Then he saw the Genovesan. It was Mario.

"Ranger Will? I know you are here. We have a present for you." Mario turned as he talked, pitching his voice to echo across the courtyard. So he hasn't seen me yet. He assumes I'm Will. Then he saw what Mario was holding in his hand, and Halt's eyes widened in surprise as he recognized the odd object. It was a large mud-colored sphere, about the size of a watermelon. It was covered in cracks, and it looked like a dried mud ball that a young child might make for fun after a rain storm. But Halt instantly recognized it as a bigger version of something he had seen before. Malcolm had made those very things at their camp before they raided the Outsider's cave in Araluen. He had said that when you threw them on the ground, they would make a loud BANG sound. Some types came with smoke, others with a bright flash of light, some with both. Halt recognized that this was just a huge one in comparison to the baseball sized ones Malcolm had made, and he also realized in that same split second that the Genovesan was raising his arm to throw it. Halt, all attempts at stealth forgotten, turned and sprinted headlong for the portcullis, just as he heard the deafening BANG!

BANG!

Will turned sharply toward the loud noise. He had been scanning the walls just inside the gate silently and carefully, but hadn't seen anything. He saw Halt go inside the gate and duck into the shadow of the portcullis, staring intently at something. He heard someone with a thick accent yelling something, but he couldn't understand it. Stay focused, Halt needs you to watch his back. He kept his eyes glued on Halt's still form, and he saw him lean forward slightly, as if studying something. Then in a sudden flurry of movement, Halt was sprinting towards him, waving his arms frantically, when the sudden loud noise startled him. BANG! The sound echoed multiple times off the stone walls in the courtyard, and Will squinted as a sudden brightness exploded from just behind Halt's frantic form. Will was suddenly blinded as white hot light burned his eyes. It was strange, the sound had happened, and everything had gone dead silent. Then the light had flashed and everything had gone white. Nothing happened for what felt to Will like and eternity. Or maybe he was just dazed, Will didn't really know. Just as his eyesight began to return, a pulse of hot, dry air knocked Will down. Will hit the ground, groaning as his ribs twinged, and his vision went from blotchy white to spotty red. He rolled over, trying to blink away the last few flashes of light obscuring his vision. He gazed up at a strangely red-tinged sky and wondered where Halt was.

Then came the smoke.

A huge wall of smoke enveloped Will, and his already blurry eyesight was covered by a grey screen of oddly fluffy clouds. He blinked a few more times, clearing away the last of the red, and forced himself to move. Halt... What happened to him? Did he fall down too? Got to... Find him. He stiffly clambered to his feet, gasping in pain as he did so, and then proceeded to start coughing as all he inhaled was a thick, pungent smoke. He stumbled for a moment, trying to suck in air and squint through the haze. He slung his bow over his shoulder and held his hand out in front of his face, forcing his eyes to focus on something, anything. Then he felt a distinct vibration under his feet in the wood slats of the bridge and gasped again, coughing and putting his hands out on each side of him as he tried to find a fast way through the thick curtain of smoke. Someone grabbed his arm, he turned abruptly and saw Halt. He was a little dusty, and he also was holding his arm out to find his way. "... Saw them! We have... Go!" Halt's mouth moved, but Will had trouble hearing him. It was as if Halt was in a different room from him, his voice was muted and distant. Will nodded numbly and coughed again, understanding what Halt was trying to say. They both turned and started jogging slowly, bending over slightly to see the slats of the drawbridge so they wouldn't run right off into the moat. They both were coughing violently now, their hands over their streaming eyes so that they could see. Will pulled his shirt collar up over his nose and mouth, but it didn't help much. There was so much smoke now that Will could barely even see Halt beside him, who still had a firm hold on his arm. It was getting harder and harder to breath, and Will found himself panicking. I can't breath, I can't breath. Yes, I can. Will tried to drag air into his ragged lungs, and only coughed more violently. No, no, I can't! I can't! Will could feel himself starting to slow, his legs giving out beneath him as his vision went from blurry to black around the edges, as breathing went from nearly impossible to truly impossible. His limbs and heart burned as his body fought for oxygen, and only got more smoke with each cough. He felt Halt's strong grip on his arm slack a little as he also began to slow down. They both struggled forward, meter after meter, but the smoke just wouldn't go away. Will's ribs were burning and throbbing with each cough, and now Halt was weakly dragging Will along. We aren't going to make it, we are going to pass out and we are either going to suffocate or those Genovesans are going to get us. Will's vision darkened further, and Halt's tug on his arm grew even weaker. Each breath was pure agony.

We aren't going to make it.

Will, who was nearly unconscious, sucked in a final breath and was surprised to find that it was air. Fresh, clean, cold, smoke-free, air. He immediately began coughing again, his body painfully expelling the smoke from his lungs. Renewed by the sudden fresh air, Will picked up speed again and looked around. Halt was still next to him, coughing just as violently, but he had also picked up the pace and had a firm grip on Will's sleeve again. They had made it all the way down the drawbridge, which had been swathed entirely in fluffy puffs of smoke. But just after the drawbridge hit land, the smoke abruptly stopped. It hung there, silently, like an ominous white sheet hung out to dry, and the wind was already starting to blow it away.


	17. Chapter 17

Gilan heard the huge BANG, saw Halt running towards Will. Then a huge cloud of smoke suddenly billowed from the front of the courtyard and immediately enveloped Halt and Will. Gilan started running towards the cloud, but saw movement on one of the outer edges and stopped. It had definitely been a green gray cloak, and they had been moving fast. But then his heart flew up into his throat as he realized that there was also a smudge of purple running along the far end of the smoke cloud. Should I shoot? What if I hit them? Gilan slung his bow off his shoulder and grabbed an arrow from his quiver. Halt would say to shoot. Gilan aimed and released in a single smooth motion. He watched the arrow fly away into the cloud where he assumed the Genovesan was. He never saw the arrow land, and he didn't hear any grunts or yells. He stood there, peering into the thick smoke for almost a minute, trying to see something, anything. Long moments passed, the silence from the masses behind him deafening and afraid, all except for his own labored breathing. Then Halt and Will suddenly came running out of the cloud hunched over, clinging to each other, and coughing violently. Both men were stumbling slowly along as they coughed, and Gilan slung up his bow and started running towards them. He reached the outer edge of the smoke and grabbed Halt, seizing his arm firmly, coughing a little as he got a strong whiff of the smoke. Then he started pulling them farther away as quickly as he could. Halt kept his grip on Will, who was hunched over, still coughing violently, and clutching his ribs. Both men were having difficulty running, and Gilan had to drag them forcefully along behind him. They all three ran in a line, headed straight for the camp. As they ran, both Will and Halt coughed less and less violently, with more and more time between each cough as their lungs forced the smoke out.

They reached the front of the camp. Gilan looked up and saw that Rodney and the Baron had done their job. The soldiers who had been panicking before were now lined up perfectly in formations of infantry, cavalry, and archers. They all stood still and unmoving with fierce looks on their faces, ready to take back their castle. Some of them also looked up in shock as the haze of white gray clouds ghosted over them, carried by a cool wind off towards the north. Gilan pulled Halt and Will the rest of the way up to where Rodney, the Baron, Pauline, and Alyss were waiting. Alyss, who had seen them coming, had grabbed some water skins and was holding them out to Halt and Will as they came running up. Halt immediately reached for one of the skins, nodding his thanks to Alyss and drinking. But Will stayed hunched over, clutching his ribs, his breaths ragged and raw. Alyss walked over and pushed the second water skin into his free hand and helped him bring it to his lips. He stood up slowly, and allowed her to help him take a few sips. Immediately his breathing became slower and more regular, less ragged and more smooth. He took the skin from her and started chugging the water. Halt finally lowered his own skin and took a few deep breathes. "I'm - I'm alright," he said haltingly. His voice was raw, but his breathing was better. Will, who had finished the water skin, handed it back to Alyss, coughed a few times, and said, "Me too."

Gilan coughed a little as well, and Alyss handed him the remains of Halt's water, and he drank deeply. "Ugh... That smoke was awful, and I only got one lungful. What happened back there?" He turned to Halt and Will, and started shrugging off his cloak so that he could give Halt back his bow and quiver.

But Halt turned to Will, and spoke urgently. "Will, remember when we were in Araluen, raiding that Outsider's cave? You know how Malcolm made those mud balls that exploded in smoke or light with a loud sound when you threw them on the ground?"

Will nodded, puzzled. "Yes, but those only made a small cloud or a short bright flash. Not something of this size."

"Well, the Genovesan, Mario, he had one of those, but it was huge. It was at least five times the size of the ones Malcolm used to make. The Genovesan never saw me, but he knew that we would come, and he said that he had a present for you."

Will's eyes widened. "I'm assuming that present was the huge exploding mud ball. So that's what the big booming sound and flash of light was..."

Gilan spoke up. "I watched everything from far away. I saw Halt running towards Will, then the big flash of light, and then a huge cloud of smoke covered you all. I think I saw one of you running, but then I saw a Genovesan and shot at him." He held Halt's bow out to him.

Halt turned to Gilan and took the bow, raising his eyebrows. "Good job not hitting us. That would have been very unfortunate," he said wryly, giving him a pointed look.

Gilan scowled a little as he also handed over the quiver. "That's why I'd didn't hit you. I didn't know if I hit anyone anyway, but now, since I didn't hit you, it has to have been that assassin...

"Or no one," Halt muttered darkly as he slung on his bow and quiver.

Gilan glared at Halt again. "Or no one, I suppose. I've been watching ever since, and none of the Genovesans have shown themselves again. That means they have to be inside the castle or in that smoke."

Halt rubbed his beard, and glanced at Will. "Our plan isn't quite happening the way we thought it would, but I think we can make this work." Will nodded stiffly, and Halt stepped around to look Will straight in the face. He was a pale, and he was wincing in pain. Every breath he took seemed to hurt him. Halt put a hand on his shoulder, and Will glanced up at him with glazed eyes. "Are you alright?"

Will nodded again. "Yes... Just hurts." He winced again.

Alyss came over with a small bottle of clear liquid. "Drink this. I know I can't convince you to stay behind, and I suspected something like this would happen. It's intense pain medicine."

She handed the small flask to Will, who shook it slightly, squinting at the transparent substance, then glanced back at Alyss and gave her a warm smile. "Thanks... Hope it works better than the last stuff." He drank the liquid, gagging as it went down his throat. "Ugh..."

"So what's this plan of yours? You never got around to telling the rest of us," Gilan asked, hoping to stop that conversation before it even started.

Will turned to him. "We - "

"I saw them. They're in the smoke!" Halt said abruptly. Will and Gilan turned and stared into the smoke. Sure enough, a moment later another flash of purple showed on the far side of the drawbridge. The smoke was mostly dispersing now, so that there were large patches of visibility, as well as places where outlines could be seen. A purple smudge was standing near the edge of the draw bridge, looking out over countryside. Halt turned to Rodney. "Rodney, would you do the honors?"

Rodney smiled darkly. "Of course, Halt. It would be my pleasure." He turned towards the bridge, widened his stance and cupped his hands on either side of his mouth. Then he shouted, "Genovesans! You are surrounded on all sides! You have no hope of escape! Surrender now and we will spare your lives!" He pitched his voice expertly, and it travelled clearly across the space.

There was a long moment of silence, where no one moved. Then all three Genovesans came running out of the smoke, heading straight for the forest off to one side. They were all coughing loudly, and two of them were toting a small but heavy chest between them, each one clinging to a handle. "Grab them!" Halt called out, and a squad of soldiers ran out and intercepted the men, encircling them and holding spear tips to their throats. They all yelled at them to drop their weapons, and after a moment's hesitation, all three Genovesans dropped their crossbows and knives on the ground. They also carefully put the chest on the ground, being mindful not to bump it. Will and Halt glanced at each other and smiled slightly. "Bring them over here!" Halt called out again. The soldiers nudged the assassins with their spears, and herded them over to just in front of the small group. Gilan noticed with grim satisfaction that one of them had his arrows transfixed in his upper arm. It had a bandage tied around it, but it was still bleeding.

Halt and Will stepped forward to meet the group of prisoners. As soon as Mario saw Will, he glowered in hatred. Will remained emotionless.

"You thought you would try to escape..." Halt smiled. "Nice try. You are all arrested for crimes of attempted robbery, murder, and the dozens of other things you've done that are completely illegal," he continued in an infuriatingly bored tone.

He started to step forward to cuff them, but Mario spoke. "That hurts, doesn't it, Ranger Will?" He said it softly, but his voice was rough and filled with hatred.

Will looked at him with something like mocking pity. "You'd be surprised. It doesn't."

But Mario just smiled wickedly. "You're lying. Guido kicked you hard enough to break at least one rib. That hurt won't go away completely, even with adrenaline, and you're still pale as the moon herself."

Will smiled a little, but it was a cold smile, never reaching his eyes. "I'm not lying. It really doesn't hurt. See - " He took a confident step forward, showing off the fact that he wasn't limping and continued, "See, it doesn't hurt anymore, because I took medicine. But you, you can't do anything to get out of this one. No hiding or sneaking or killing this time. Just the bars of a prison cell."

Now Guido laughed. "Ah, but Ranger Will, you forget something. You may have intercepted us, and you may be arresting us. But you must remember that everything you and your lady friend went through in there" he nodded his head towards the castle, "was for nothing."

Will tilted his head in mock curiosity. "And why would that be?"

Guido licked his lips, his eyes glittering with maniacal triumph. "You failed, Ranger. You never got them." He pointed to the chest which was sitting on the ground next to the soldiers' feet. "We go to them first, and you only caught us with your huge army. You couldn't stop us."

There was a moment of silence as Will and Halt seemed to absorb this information, and Guido and Mario both smiled widely, showing their pointed teeth. Halt smiled pleasantly and turned to Will. "You know, Will, I think it's time they opened that chest, don't you think?"

Will grinned back, equally as pleasant. "I quite agree." He turned back to the Genovesans, and made a shooing motion with his hands, as if sending a child off to play. "Go on. Open the chest."

Will felt Gilan come up behind him. "Will... What are you doing?" But he just shook his head at him, and turned away. Halt gave him a pointed sidelong look, and Gilan stepped back again with no further comment.

Guido's maniacal grin faltered, but Mario's steady glare popped into a look of surprised glee. "Of course." He waited while the soldiers carried the chest over, then knelt and picked at the lock. "How do you expect us to open this lock without the key?"

Halt stepped forward, his saxe leaping from its scabbard. He brought it down hard on the lock, splitting the metal smoothly in half with a menacing thunk. "Now, do you think you can manage it?" Halt hissed, and Guido glared at him.

After Halt stepped back and sheathed his knife, Mario excitedly put aside the broken lock and undid the latch. He tipped open the lid, his eyes glinting as he saw the twelve clean cut rubies throwing off red sparkles, a beautiful bloody kaleidoscope of light...

There weren't any rubies.

Mario's grin melted off his face and his eyes bugged out of their sockets as he reached into the chest and pulled out a handful of...

Paperweights?

"What? But, we - we checked, we shook the case - " Guido muttered as he leaned over Mario.

"Yes, I knew you would. That's why we put those in there," Will said as he pointed to himself and Halt. All three Genovesans looked up at him in utter shock. Halt spoke first. "We wanted to find a way to get all three of you out of our castle. But we didn't want to have to hunt you from inside, it was just too difficult and too large a space. It also gave you too many opportunities to escape, which, of course, was the main thing to avoid. And we didn't want to have to use all these soldiers to mount a full-on attack against three men, if we could help it. So we devised a plan to get you three out of the castle on your own free will." The Genovesans all started at Halt in disbelieving shock.

Then Will spoke up again. "When you came upon me in the hallway, I had already been inside the treasury. I had replaced the rubies with those paperweights, because I knew you wouldn't be fooled if I simply took the rubies and left it empty. If that happened, you might realize that you had lost your loot, and attempt an escape. So we carefully replaced the older lock with a new, stronger lock. Then, since you couldn't open it, and since we knew you would check, we had to put something in there that would sound like rubies when you shook it. I remembered seeing that in the scribes' offices, they used little inexpensive crystals smoothed and shaped as paperweights, and I figured they would make nearly the same sound as rubies when they were shook. We replaced the rubies with the paperweights and relocked the chest. Then we set it up to look like I was just entering the treasury, and, well, you know how the rest went. You chased me out, thinking that you had caught us before we had a chance. But, in truth, you failed the minute I locked those paperweights into that box."

Mario, Guido, and the other assassin's eyes grew wider and wider as they absorbed what Will had said. There was a moment of long silence.

"Prove it," Guido spat as he stood and threw the little crystals on the ground. "I don't believe you. Show me the rubies."

Halt smiled pleasantly at him yet again. "One moment." He glanced sidelong at Will, who was already digging around in his jerkin pockets. He searched for a moment, and then pulled a medium sized velvet bag. He pulled the drawstring, opening the bag, and slowly tipped it over. Twelve blood-red glittering stones fell from the bag and hit with dull thuds on the packed dirt, like huge, rich drops of blood rain. Guido saw the jewels, and went very pale. Then he sat back resignedly, recognizing that he had lost, gazing at the treasures sprinkled in the dust. The other Genovesan hadn't said anything, and he stared almost sadly at the rubies.

Only Mario became angry. He leapt to his feet and tried to lunge for the stones, but the soldiers caught him and wrestled him to the ground, cuffing his hands behind his back. "We had them! We had the jewels! You had failed! I hate you! I hate you!" Mario ranted as the soldiers hauled him back to his feet along with his shell-shocked companions.

Halt glanced almost tiredly at the captain of the guard. "Captain, get this scum out of my sight and in the deepest, darkest, dirtiest cell. Keep a heavy guard on them at all times."

The captain nodded crisply and started to turn the prisoners away, but Will forestalled them. "Wait, wait just a moment." Halt put and hand on his shoulder and shot him a questioning look, but Will shook him off and didn't meet his eyes. He walked right up to Mario, and searched his face, squinting slightly. "I have one last question for you. Then you'll go and get comfortable in your cell. Will you answer it?"

Mario glowered at him, still fuming with fury. "Probably not... Although I might be more inclined to answer if you would allow me to ask you one as well."

Will stared him down for a moment, then finally relented. "Fine. You first."

Mario smiled a little. "When I came down the hallway just outside the audience hall, I saw that very same soldier I had just interrogated and released walking confidently away from that small office. So I went into the room, certain that you would be there. I could practically smell you. I searched everywhere, and you were no where." Mario leaned in close and whispered, "But I knew I was not alone. I could feel you in there. So tell me, where were you?"

Will raised an eyebrow at him. "You do realize... There weren't that many hiding places in that room?"

Mario glowered. "I didn't ask for your mockery. I asked for an answer."

Will flicked his eyes at Halt, who was standing behind him a few feet back. Then he shrugged, and said, "I hung under the table."

Mario stared at him for a moment, trying to decide if Will was telling him the truth or not. But as he searched Will's eyes and saw that he was serious, he began to laugh. He laughed loudly, full bellied, deep, throaty laughs that echoed through the camp. "So I looked right at you. I screamed at you. And you did not move."

Will nodded, stone-faced.

Mario chuckled a few more times, and then looked at Will in a new light, almost impressed. "Now I see why you are such a famous Ranger... You would make a good assassin. Get very rich and successful in Toscana."

Will smiled coldly again. "I'm not currently looking for another job, so I'll have to decline. Now, will you answer my question?"

Mario, still chuckling lightly, said, "Maybe, maybe not. We shall see."

Will shrugged off his answer, then leaned in close and looked straight into his eyes. "Why do you hate me so much? What have I ever done to you to make you so set against me?"

Mario's laughter died instantly, his smile evaporated, and his face became hard to read. "You mean, you don't recognize me?" He asked in a slightly puzzled voice.

Will raised an eyebrow. "Not even slightly. Should I?"

Mario's eyes burned and sparked with terrible fury and hatred, but Will was shocked as he saw tears well up. His whole body shook and the guards holding him grabbed him tighter as he snarled softly, "Bacari was my brother."

Will speechlessly stared at Mario. Bacari... He mouthed the name silently. The Genovesan he had killed in Clonmel. He had captured him and forced him to tell Malcolm what kind of poison he had used on Halt, then killed him when he tried to escape, burying his throwing knife in his throat. Will had that same knife on his belt in his scabbard at that very moment, and suddenly it became hot and heavy on his waist, digging into his hip. Images of the blood spurting from Bacari's neck flicked across Will's eyelids.

Mario saw the understanding dawn in Will's eyes, and hissed, "He was my beloved little brother, and you killed him. You took him from me." He looked deep into Will's eyes, a single tear dripping down his cheek. Halt came up behind Will and, seeing his former apprentice standing frozen and dazed, nodded urgently to the guards. They dragged the Genovesans away, Mario smiling and crying manically at Will as long as he could until the guards dragged him around.

Halt gently touched Will's shoulder. He was standing there, staring after the retreating form of the assassins, his glazed eyes locked on Mario's back. Will jumped when he touched him, and turned abruptly. "I - uh - Halt - " His eyes blinked rapidly, not really seeing Halt, ghosts of memories and thought clouding his mind.

"Will, what did he say to you? Why does he hate you?"

Will realized that one else had heard the Genovesan's reply, except for the soldiers. He looked at Halt for a long moment, his eyes a little wide. Then he said dully, "It - it doesn't matter. He just had anger... issues." Then he turned away from Halt and kicked some dust over the jewels, which still lay scattered on the ground. Then he walked off towards the camp, holding his ribs.

Halt knew that Will hadn't told him the truth. The disturbed, sad light in his eyes had told him everything he needed to know. He debated following him, but decided against it. He probably just needs some time before he can tell me.

Alyss came up behind him, touching his shoulder. "Halt? What did the Genovesan say to Will? I tried to talk to him but he just shook me off, he looks really disturbed."

Halt smiled sadly. "I don't know, Alyss. And we might never know. If he doesn't want to tell us, we can't force him to. It might hurt him too much. The way he looked at that man, the way he reacted to what he said... I haven't seen him that upset in some time."

Alyss's face pinched up with worry. But she nodded. "Alright. But that doesn't mean I won't try to get it out of him, upset or not."

Halt nodded. "Good. But don't force it. He looked... Well, I suppose the only way to describe it is overwhelmed with memories. But not... Good memories."

Alyss sighed sadly. "I had better go find him." Halt watched her run off after Will. Then he stared at the forms of the three Genovesans as they were lead away by the soldiers. What did you tell Will? He bent down and picked up the rubies. So much hurt for such small things. He put them back in the bag and tucked them into his jerkin. Then he turned to follow Alyss back into the camp.


	18. Chapter 18

"So what do we file this incident to be? I mean, how do we classify it?" Sir Nigel asked timidly. He was sitting in the Baron's office in Castle Redmont, in an official meeting with the King.

Redmont Castle had been carefully cleaned and repaired so that all evidence of the long struggle that had happened just the day before was gone. The support troops from the nearby fief returned to their homes, and everyone was moved back into Redmont within a day. Which was as a good thing, because a day later, King Duncan travelled officially to Redmont to receive reports on what had happened. Halt held the official meeting in the Baron's office in the late afternoon. Will also came, as well as Pauline, Rodney, and the Baron.

Sir Nigel had sat in the corner, frantically writing down everything as the official report was given. After it had all been reported, the King sat back and rubbed his beard for several minutes, thinking about everything. In that silence, Nigel had finished writing everything up on the official form. But he hadn't classified the document yet.

The King glanced up. "I still don't quite understand what you're asking..."

Nigel pursed his lips. "I mean, when I file this official report, I have to put it in a certain folder. For military situations we have only a few file classification categories, such as a battle, siege, hostage situation, intelligence and or espionage, training incident, miscellaneous... But we don't tend to use miscellaneous for anything except some specific types of operations, usually involving Rangers."

He nodded at Will and Halt, who smiled slightly. "I had a miscellaneous once," Will said. "I remember because I had to ask you what I should classify it as when I was doing the report."

Sir Nigel smiled. "Yes, I remember that, Ranger Will."

Halt said, "I've had at least a couple miscellaneous jobs... But most of the time now, I make you do the paperwork, so I wouldn't know." Will scowled at him.

"Back to the matter at hand," said the King. "What did you last classify it as? I think that's how the rule goes. The last thing the operation was officially classified as is how it goes in the paperwork."

Halt pursed his lips. "Well, the last one I remember was Rodney declaring it a standard siege operation."

"Official. Official siege operation," Will corrected, and it was Halt's turn to scowled at him.

"Whatever. So, I guess that means..."

But he trailed off as Will leaned forward, chewing on his cheek. "See, I don't know if it can be classified accurately as a siege... Because for most of the time, it wasn't a siege."

"Yes, but remember the rule. Whatever it was last, that's what you classify it as." Halt sighed. "But I do see your point. It was, for the majority of the time, a hostage situation. Even when you got everyone else out, since you were still in there, Will, you were still considered a 'hostage' in technical terms."

Will muttered glumly, "But I wasn't a hostage... Not really. I was mostly sneaking around."

"Yes, but technically, we had to treat the situation like that. But then, once you got out, it became a siege."

Will glared at Halt, but didn't push it, since he knew that Halt was right.

The King glanced back and forth between Halt and Will. "So... Now that we have established that, we have to get the parameters for the report."

Sir Nigel asked, "So first on the list: parties. Who against who?"

Halt answered, "Araluen versus seven Genovesans and their men."

"'Araluen'? Really? Don't you have to be more specific?" Will said disbelievingly.

"Well, I could get more specific and start listing everyone with their titles, but that's too much work. I tend to just use 'Araluen'." Halt noticed that Nigel was smiling a little.

"Yes, I always enjoy checking over Ranger Will's reports more than yours, Ranger Halt. He is always much more specific then you are. It makes for a more interesting read, and is more useful in the long run."

Halt scowled a little and sat back in his chair. Will grinned at Nigel.

"I think we'll stick with Halt's original suggestion," said the King tiredly, already sensing that the two tired Rangers were not going to back down. He glanced furtively at Nigel to keep it moving, and Nigel nodded slightly.

"Alright, next thing." Nigel said. "How many soldiers on the side of Araluen?"

"Five hundred, not counting the ones that joined our ranks after they escaped," said Halt.

"And on the opposing side?"

Halt looked at Will, who thought about it for a moment. "I'd say probably forty hired men, along with seven Genovesans."

"How long was the siege? In hours or days."

Will glanced and Halt, who shrugged. Will hesitated before saying, "Uh... Ten minutes? Give or take a few... Minutes."

"Does the form do minutes? If it doesn't, just add a new line in." Halt leaned over the page with Nigel and helped him.

King Duncan turned to Will, raising an eyebrow. "Ten minutes?"

Will nodded sheepishly. "I told you. It was a hostage situation for over four hours, but it was only a siege for ten minutes." The King nodded.

"And, last but not least, the outcome?" Nigel said, looking up from the page with Halt.

"Araluen 'won', I guess." Will phrased it almost like a question, but no one responded, thankfully.

"'How outcome was achieved'..." Nigel prompted.

"Well, uhm, the target of the invaders was replaced by... Paperweights... And then we waited for them to try to escape. Except they... Threw a smoke bomb... And then we caught them running away." Will stuttered a little as he said this, and everyone just looked at him and Halt blankly. Will went a little red.

The King raised both eyebrows. "Paperweights?... And smoke bombs..." He trailed off as he thought hard. Halt studied the King's face to see his reaction.

"Well..." The King looked up and smiled widely. "That's one way to lay siege. Paper weights and smoke bombs. I'll be talking about this one for years." He let out a big jolly laugh. Will joined in, along with Nigel, and Halt grinned. "This was definitely a strange siege."

Halt said, "I think a better word for it, Your Majesty, would be a 'surprise' siege."

The King tilted his head. "And why is that?"

"Well, the siege was definitely a big surprise, what with the stampede of galloping horses. Then it wasn't even a siege. And when we actually laid siege, it was for ten minutes... on three men."

"Very true. I suppose we will use 'surprise'. The Surprise Siege. Very fitting." King Duncan glanced over at Nigel. "Well, I think that's all we need for now, right, Nigel?" The scribesmaster nodded. The King stood, and the rest of them stood too. Halt and Nigel rose smoothly from their chairs, but Will groaned a little as he prepared to heave himself painfully up, and the King forestalled him with a hand. "Don't get up, I know how much that hurts." Will nodded his thanks and stayed seated. "Thank you, Nigel, you may go."

Nigel scuttled out of the room, hunched over the report, muttering, "I think this one is another miscellaneous..."

Once he had left the room, the King held out his hand to Halt. "Halt, I've already said this so many times I think we've both lost count, but let me say it again. Thank you for everything you did to save this castle."

Halt shook his hand firmly. "All in a day's work, Your Majesty. It's what I do. But I think we both know who should receive most of the thanks. I mostly just tagged along." He nodded towards Will, and the King nodded. Then he turned and walked out the door.

Now only Will and the King were left. The King went over and sat down next to Will. "Will..." He started softly. "I know that this particular job was a lot of work for you, that it was a difficult one. I know you sacrificed a lot." Will glanced up at him, his eyes a little wide. Duncan leaned in a little closer and spoke softly. "Halt told me what you did in here... The plans. He told me what you were willing to do for all those people. First of all, can I just say that normally, at least try to save your own life. You aren't really a... Shall we say, a replaceable asset. Halt doesn't train that many apprentices, and he certainly doesn't train any apprentices to be as damn good as you." Will smiled shyly at this. But Duncan reached over and took Will's hand firmly. "I know that this in no way compensates for what you did, but thank you. Thank you for, once again, saving this castle."

Will turned a little red again. "Your Majesty, just as Halt said, all in a day's work. It's just what we Rangers do. I don't need compensation..."

"I know you don't, but that just makes me feel worse." Duncan shook his hand.

Will smiled, and said, "Well, I'm sorry for making you feel bad, sir."

Duncan let go of Will's hand and stood. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Will." Then he waited while Will slowly pulled himself to his feet, trying hard not to wince. Duncan again took his hand once Will was standing. "Listen Will. Halt told me that the Genovesans said something to you when you captured them, and that it disturbed you. I know you've had dealings with them before.. Just take my advice. It's not good to hold these sorts of things in. You've got tell someone. Holding it in will only make it worse. Will you promise me, or at least, promise Halt, that you will tell someone?" Will saw the compassion in Duncan's eyes, and nodded resignedly. I'll tell Alyss. But no one else. I don't want them to worry.

"Now, do me a big favor, and go home to your wife. You need to rest up for a good long while. I've broken a few ribs in my time, and they really do hurt, so you can know that you at least have my sympathy, since I know that Halt tends to be unsympathetic, along with some of your friends... Like a certain knight, and perhaps another rather taller Ranger." He raised his eyebrows down the hall where Halt had disappeared. "I've already told Halt and Crowley to give you some time to yourself. I need you to heal quickly so that just in case something else happens, you're all ready to go. That's an official order, understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Will grinned, and Duncan showed Will out the door.

Will bowed slightly and left the room, heading down the hallway. He reached the end of the hallway and, rather than turning left for the stables, he turned right. He heard Duncan's voice at the end of the hall again. "Will, that's not the way back home, is it?"

Will turned and grinned. "I am going home, Your Majesty. I have to go check the diplomatic corridor for my wife to see if she's still here or not."

"And then after that, you're going home, right?" Duncan asked.

"Yes, sir, of course. I can't ignore an official order," Will joked.

"No, you can't." Duncan gave him one last suspicious stare, complete with one eyebrow raised, and the he ducked back into the Baron's office.

Will smiled to himself as he made his way to the diplomatic corridor, where he knew Alyss's office was. He passed a few other Courier's offices, and came to one nearer to the end of the hall. He leaned inside to see Alyss sitting behind her large desk, surrounded by stacks of papers. She was rifling through a stack and chewing on the butt of her pen, deep in thought. She didn't even glance up as Will leaned in. She murmured something under her breath and jotted something down on a scrap of paper, then cursed softly and rifled through a second stack. Will let her work for a moment longer, and then asked softly, "Almost ready to leave?"

Alyss jumped a little, gasping softly, and looked up. Seeing that it was only Will, she relaxed back into her chair, putting her face in her hands and laughing a little. "Only a few people in this castle can sneak up on me like that. You happen to be one of the few, Crowley, Halt, and Pauline being the others." She pulled a sheet of parchment out of the middle of the stack she was searching through and jotted something else down, then she slid the paper on the bottom of another stack and set everything aside. "Yes, I am nearly ready. Just need to drop something off at Pauline's - " She picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder, then got up and moved around the desk. Will stepped aside for her to get by, and they both strolled down the hall towards Pauline's office at the end of the hall. Alyss pulled out a file from her bag and dropped it into a large box on the corner of Pauline's desk, and then they exited the office. "I should ask, are you ready to leave as well? What did the King say?" Alyss said curiously.

"Well, he wanted to officially congratulate us in a public setting, but Halt and I both declined. So he basically just said thanks, and we filed the official report all together." Will fell silent after that short explanation, and Alyss urged him on.

"And? That meeting was much longer than that. What else did he say?"

"Well..." Will scratched his neck awkwardly. "He... He said that I was very good at what I did, and he gave me an official order."

Alyss raised both eyebrows. "Really? I thought he rarely ordered Rangers around in the first place... What did he order you to do?"

Will smiled. "He told me that I had to 'do him a favor and go home to my wife'. He even told Halt and Crowley to leave me alone for a few days so that I can have some time off. I'm supposed to 'heal quickly so that I'm ready for my next mission' or something like that."

Alyss laughed. "Well, I wish I got orders like that. Mine are mostly 'do this' and 'don't do that'..." She trailed off. "So he really ordered you to take time off?"

"I know, I was a little surprised too."

"Well, I think you definitely deserve a little time off. Make that a lot of time off. You've been working so much lately, and even before that Genovesan business, you hadn't had a break in a long time. And then of course, the events of two days ago were rather harsh on you... On everyone here. I think everyone is going to take it easy for a few days, just until we all recover."

By then, they had crossed the outdoor courtyard and opened the door to the stables. Will opened Tug's stall door, and he walked him out. Alyss scanned the stalls of horses, and then sighed. "I forgot. I didn't ride into work today, I walked. I don't have my horse with me at the moment."

Will gestured to Tug. "I think Tug can handle two of us. It's not too long of a ride anyway."

You think I can handle you two? You think? I'm insulted. Tug dipped his head to the right moodily.

Will glanced at Alyss, and then replied silently, Oh, don't be like that. You think you're indestructible, but you're not.

No, I don't think that. I just know that I can protect myself much better than you can protect yourself.

Oh really? Will almost snorted, but he remember that Alyss was there, and he abruptly stopped, so it sounded like he was choking.

Alyss glanced at him, one eyebrow raised. "I know you and Tug are chatting, but are you alright? Inhale a fly or something?"

Will looked suspiciously at her. "I - uh - I wasn't chatting... I was just checking his girth." Will leaned over and tugged on Tug's girth strap, which was as tight as ever. Tug came as close as a horse can to smirking at him, and Will stuck out his tongue at him.

Alyss rolled her eyes at Will as he straightened. "Not chatting? I don't think so. It's alright, really, I know how much you love him. But then again, I also know that you will never be comfortable talking to Tug with anyone around..."

Will squinted suspiciously at her, hiding his bewilderment. I'm not normally comfortable talking to Tug with other people around, but maybe it's different with some other people... Right? He thought about the fact that he had just been uncomfortable with Alyss. If I'm not comfortable talking to a horse with my wife present, then I'm not comfortable talking to a horse with anyone present. "I suppose... You're right."

You're talking like I can't hear you again. Remember, I can hear you even when you don't say it out loud. Tug snorted.

Will rolled his eyes as led Tug out of the stable. He checked on his straps on last time, and then stiffly put his foot in the stirrup, swinging his other leg around so that he straddled Tug. He tried not to wince as he did so, and failed miserably. Alyss sighed a little as she heard his slight gasp and pain flashed across his face. But she didn't say anything, since she knew that he was on the mend. Will settled himself for a moment, and then extended his good arm to Alyss so that she could mount behind him. Alyss eyed the hand, both eyebrows raised. "Will, I know you're just being polite. But really, I can mount by myself, and I know that even that small gesture probably hurt. So don't even try."

She gently pushed his arm back at him, then grabbed the horn on the saddle and swung herself up behind Will, putting her hands on his shoulders as she mounted and steadied herself. Then she wrapped her arms around his waist, below where she knew his ribs hurt. She squeezed gently, and Will nodded. "Yes, right there's good. Just don't move your arms up any further." He let her settle a bit more, adjusting her bag so that it hung comfortably across her body and off one hip. "All set?"

"Yes."

Will was about to squeeze his knees around Tug, but then added, "I'll warn you right now, we'll have to go very slowly. I've tried to have Tug go faster than a walking pace, but - "

"Will? Are you going home or not? It's been what, ten minutes since I told you to leave?" Will turned in the saddle and saw that King Duncan had come down and was crossing the courtyard. He had called out to him, interrupting his conversation with Alyss. He raised both eyebrows at Alyss, and smiled at the King, calling, "Yes, sir, I was just leaving."

"Good, because it's taken you quite a while to get to that point. Considering that you'll only be able to move very slowly, you should really get a move on if you want to be home for a relaxed dinner, or did you forget what I told you earlier?" He said as he walked up to where Will and Alyss were mounted on Tug.

Alyss smiled at him, and said, "Of course, Your Majesty. He was just warning me that we weren't going to be able to go very fast. I'll get him home as quickly as I can."

The King smiled at her. "Thank you, Alyss. I can always count on you to set him straight." He turned around and started walking away. But he called over his shoulder, "When I turn around, you had better be gone, Ranger Will."

Will smiled at the King's back, then gently squeezed Tug with his knees, murmuring, "Go on now, but easy, easy," and Tug started off smoothly in a slow walk, headed for the main gate. Will winced as Tug bounced slightly on the rough stone floor, but then relaxed as his gait smoothed out almost immediately. Alyss hugged Will's back gently as they moved out of the courtyard, then turned her head a little and looked back at the distant form of the King. He nodded his head to her, and she nodded back, turning back around.

Alyss muttered, "I didn't realize just how serious he about getting you home until... Well, that."

"Well, now you've seen it for yourself. I have a feeling that if I even show up near the castle he's going to send guards to breath down my neck until I leave."

"I don't think so. He just wants you to heal... And recover."

As they rode across the drawbridge, which had been newly repaired, she heard Will mutter, "I don't think I'll ever be able to cross this drawbridge without thinking about that smoke..."

"I think, in time, it won't be so bad. And nothing like it will probably ever happen again, at least, those Genovesans sure won't be coming back. You got rid of them completely."

"Yes, I suppose..." Will trailed off, thinking deeply.

They clopped off the drawbridge and onto the dirt path leading towards the village. Alyss decided that she was going to ask him, that she had waited long enough. "Will, I know that you've been... Upset... Ever since the events of two days ago. I was just wondering if there was anything you... Wanted to talk about."

She felt Will stiffen a little, and heard his soft reply. "Alyss... I don't need to talk. Really, it's alright. I'm fine. Don't worry about it."

He nudged Tug off into a smaller path that went around Wensley through the forest. She hugged his back gently pressing her face into the back of his cloak. "No, Will, I can't. You aren't alright or fine and you haven't been for the last few days. And I know that your ribs are hurting you, so don't try to tell me that's only what's bothering you, because that's not it." She lowered her voice. "I know it was what that Genovesan said to you. I know that's it, and you need to tell me."

She felt Will sigh, his rib cage expanding and contracting smoothly under her arms. "Alyss..."

"Tell me." She out some steel in her voice, hoping to make him tell her.

"Alyss, I don't want to tell you."

"Why? Why don't you want to tell me? But you haven't even told me what you don't want to tell me, so how can I understand?"

Will laughed lightly, though it was a sad laugh. It echoed mournfully through the dense trees on either side. "Now you're just confusing me." He fell silent again.

Alyss squeezed him tighter. "Why don't you want to tell me?"

Will struggled to speak. "I... I don't want to tell you because... Well, because I don't want you to have to feel what I feel. It... It hurts too much. I don't want you to hurt like this. Not after what you already have to deal with."

Alyss felt her eyes welling up, and she forced the tears back, clearing her throat. "But I don't want you to hurt either. You don't deserve it, not after the things you did. The only way to get rid of that hurt is to tell someone."

"But... It's a burden. I don't want to just hand you the burden of what I'm feeling, it's not fair."

"It won't be a burden, not to me. And you know that life isn't fair."

"Are... Are you sure? Really, I... If I tell you, you'll have to keep it a secret. I don't want others to find out about it. They'll only worry, and I don't want that."

Alyss could sense he was almost ready to tell her. "Of course, I won't."

Will sighed again, and sat in silence for a moment gather his thoughts. The trees rustled peaceful around them. Then he said, "So... I suppose I'll start from the beginning. Do you remember that mission that Halt, Horace, and I did in Clonmel, the one where Halt got poisoned and all that? It was a few years ago."

"Yes, of course I do," Alyss said softly.

"Well, the Genovesan that I captured to find out what poisoned Halt was named... Bacari."

Alyss felt him stiffen as he said the name. "But none of the Genovesans you dealt with two days ago was called Bacari, right?"

"Yes, but... Well..."

Alyss urged him to continue. "So..."

Suddenly it all came out in a flood, a torrent of words, and Will couldn't stop. It was as if the dam of fear had broken, and now all the hurt that had been previously held back came rushing out. "Well, I asked Mario why he hated me so much. Because the sort of hatred he held for me can only come from a personal reason. I had to have done something to him or someone he knew to elicit that sort of anger. And he said to me... 'Bacari was my brother.'"

Alyss sat in silence for a long moment, thinking and absorbing. "So - "

"Do you remember what else I did to Bacari, Alyss? Do you remember what I told you years and years ago?" Will was suddenly anguished, his voice louder and harsher, all the hurt tumbling out of him, overwhelming him. "I killed him. I threw a knife at him, this bloody knife - " He ripped his throwing knife out of his belt and brandished it in front of him, his hand shaking. " - and I hit his throat. And I - I can still remember... How much blood... It spurted..."

Alyss felt the tears welling up again, but she again forced them back, determined to stay strong for Will. "No, Will. Don't do that to yourself. You know - "

"And you know what else Mario told me? You know what else?" Will was now shouting, not at Alyss, but at himself. "He told me that Bacari had been his 'beloved little brother'. That I had 'taken him from him'. And now all I can think about is what I did to him. What I did to... Them."

Will fell silent for a long moment, breathing deeply. Alyss was now having a hard time holding back her tears. But this time, when Will spoke, his voice was soft and shaky. "I see things like that, and sometimes I wonder... If this is all even worth it. If being a Ranger is worth it."

Alyss shook her head back and forth, saying, "No, Will, don't you dare say that. It - "

"Alyss..." His voice was cracked and broken. "I see last few nights, when I close my eyes, I see him. I haven't slept at all. Because he's there, in my dreams, whispering to me, 'You killed me. You killed me and now my brother is alone.'"

Alyss couldn't stop the tear from running down her cheek, but she quickly rubbed it off on the back of Will's cloak. "Will... Stop." She reached around his torso and grabbed Tug's reins, and Tug sudden came to a stop. Will looked with surprise at Tug. Normally, the only person who could order a Ranger horse to do anything would be the Ranger who owned it. They were trained that way. But this time Tug stopped for Alyss's command, and now he had even turned his head to the side and was staring at Will. Even my horse is worried about me. Great.

Alyss swung down off Tug's back, and then she held an arm out for Will, who leaned heavily on her as he dismounted stiffly, but managed to do it without wincing. He stepped away from Tug, turning around and wringing his hands, moving off into the grass along the path. Alyss walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "Will, is there anything else troubling you?"

Will looked at his feet, and said softly, "I suppose... I'm just... I think I'm being overly close minded about this. I'm not upset specifically about this, it's more in general. I look back at all the things I've done, and I wonder... How many little brothers have I killed? How about big brothers? Fathers? Uncles? Mothers? Daughters? Sisters? Maybe not directly, but how many have died because of something I did? How many..." He trailed off, his head hanging, his voice broken.

Alyss hugged him for a moment longer, letting the silence wash over them. Then she released him, walked around and squared off in front of him. "Will, listen to me very carefully, because I'm only going to say this once." She took his hands in her own. "You killed Bacari for a reason. You killed him because he was threatening the lives of your friends. You did the right thing. You did not murder him in cold blood, which means you are not at fault. Do you understand?"

Will looked up at her in dismay. "But - "

"Will, you don't kill for enjoyment, for vengeance. You only kill when you have to, for self defense or for the sake of someone who is being directly threatened. I have never, ever, in all my years of knowing you, heard about any situations where you killed someone for any other reason than self defense or justice. And the people you killed, well, this sounds harsh, but think about it logically: they all deserved it."

Will looked up at her with a new light in his eyes, and she pushed on. "You only kill people who are true threats to our kingdom. And even then, you only kill when absolutely necessary. Most of the time you just arrest them." She squeezed his hands, staring intently at his face. "Bacari deserved what he got. But he made the choice when he tried to hurt Horace. And those other Genovesans? They also deserved what they got. But they made the choice to not resist... And ultimately live longer. And now their blood isn't on your hands. The King will deal with them. See, Will, you give them a choice. And they choose whether they want to live or die. It's not your fault if they choose to die. And it's definitely not your fault if they have a family that's back home waiting for them. Because they are the ones who abandoned them. You simply did what was right."

Will looked deep into her eyes, absorbing what she said. "I understand. I know..." Will blinked a few times. "I came to terms with all this years ago... I don't know why I'm suddenly not okay with it again. When I became a Ranger, I knew that I would have to kill people. And I came to terms with that using that exact reasoning. I don't know why... I forgot..." He put his hands over his face and rubbed, sighing heavily and turning away.

Alyss waited a moment, and then said, "Will, it's alright. It happens sometimes that everything you thought you knew can suddenly be... Put into a new light, and suddenly you don't know what to think. I know about that more than you probably realize."

Will turned around, puzzled. "Really?"

"Yes... I had to come to terms with my parents a long time ago. My mother died when she got sick after I was born, and my father died in the war, which you know. But for a long time, especially when I was quite young, I struggled with it, thinking about how maybe I killed my mother... But then I figured it out."

Will looked stricken, and walked over to her, taking her hands. "I'm sorry, Alyss. I shouldn't have - see, this is why I didn't want to tell you - "

"Will, I'm fine. I'm past that now. And I know that you are too. Mario... He was trying to rattle you. Did you see the look in his eyes as he was lead away? Since he couldn't get at you by hurting you physically, he tried the emotional approach. He just wanted to hurt you, Will. That was his main goal. Who knows? He could have been lying just to make you upset."

Will nodded a few times. "I suppose. Then he's a very good actor, because... I definitely believed him." And for the first time in two days, Will actually smiled. A warm, tender smile that reached his eyes and filled them to the brim. "Alyss... I'm sorry. About working so much, about leaving you alone, for refusing to tell you about this..."

Alyss smiled back at him, mirroring his own warmth. "Don't apologize, you have nothing to be sorry for. It's your job, I completely understand, as my job is sometimes demanding as well. And I'm just glad you finally told me. It was killing you not to."

"Yes, it was." Will said. His voice had returned to its normal timbre, cheerful, happy, and just a touch mischievous. He glanced around the forest, seemly noticing the warm evening sunlight peeking through the branches for the first time.

"Now, are we ever going to get home? Or do you want to sit here for a little while longer and contemplate life more deeply?"

"Well, you were the one who stopped us." Will walked over to Tug and swung himself back on. "I wonder if the King would send a scouting party after us. Just to see if we got home or not."

"Based on what I saw just a few minutes ago... I wouldn't put it past him. We really should get going." Alyss swung up behind Will again, and Tug, who was uncharacteristically silent, started moving smoothly again. "You're cooking tonight. Just like most other nights."

"Good. I was thinking... Rabbit stew."

"So long as you teach me so I can make it while you're gone."

"But I already showed you just a short while ago!"

"Yes, but I forgot again, remember, I'm not great shakes at cooking."

"Good thing I am. Tonight, write it down while I show you."

"Deal." Alyss went quiet, and they both sat in peaceful silence, listening to the evening birds in the forest.

Will nudged Tug a little. Don't you have something to say? You've been really quiet.

No, I don't. That's all the sort of thing I don't trouble myself with. It just wastes time that could be spent eating. Tug plodded onward, shaking his mane. Will had no response to this, so he kept silent. He felt Alyss's warm body settle against his back, and he smiled to no one in particular. Today was a good day, he thought. And tomorrow will be even better. They both rode off down the path towards their little cabin the woods.

THE END

Hello everyone! My name is 8trustthecloak8 and thanks so much for reading my story! I really appreciate all the support you have given me over the past few months. I received each and every comment, and I would normally have preferred to answer all of you, but unfortunately my private messaging doesn't seem to work quite right on my phone. I am also fairly new to fanfiction. Com, so I'm a little unsure of how everything works still. My main hub happens to be on Wattpad, so if you want to see my real time updates and have more direct contact with me, go ahead and check me out on Wattpad. Com, under the same username as I have here. So that's it! That's my whole story! I am currently writing another story called the Rogue Tribe. I am nearly done with it, and I will post it here as well every other day or so. So look for my next book! See you all soon, on here or Wattpad!


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